Family made ill by meat from York supermarket that sold food 41 days past use by date
Some of the food for sale at Zam Zam supermarket past its use by date (Image: City of York Council)
A family suffered food poisoning and had to go to accident and emergency after they bought meat from a York supermarket, the city's magistrates heard.
The two parents and their eight-year-old child had eaten salami which had been on display at Zam Zam Supermarket 19 days past its use by date, said Mark Thompson, prosecuting for City of York Council.
When officers went to the international supermarket in Layerthorpe on three separate days, they found the same salami still on sale with the same use by date and a catalogue of meat and other perishables on sale up to 41 days past their use by date.
They also found that the supermarket had no procedure in place for checking that out of date food had been removed from sale and was selling illegal vapes.
Some of the food for sale at Zam Zam supermarket past its use by date (Image: City of York Council)
Zam Zam Foods York Ltd, which runs the halal supermarket and two of its directors, Serwan Ali, 49, and Dana Mustafa, 48, each faced 10 charges that they had offered unsafe food for sale and three of offering illegal vapes for supply. All three defendants pleaded guilty to all charges.
In total they were ordered to pay £23,744.
Ali, of Whenby Grove, Huntington, and Mustafa, of Humber Drive, Strensall, were each fined £1,230 and ordered to pay £150 compensation to the family, a £492 statutory surcharge and £2,000 prosecution costs.
The company was fined £14,000 and ordered to pay a £2,000 statutory surcharge.
Representing all three defendants, Uzama Patel said the two directors had been on holiday with their families in Kurdistan when the trading standards officers visited the supermarket and had left it in the charge of their manager.
The Zam Zam supermarket in Layerthorpe, York. (Image: Google)
"(The items) were not left on sale for financial gain," he said and quoted arrangements in place with the supermarket's providers regarding unsold food.
"Over the last 12 months lessons have been learnt and these mistakes have not been repeated," said the solicitor.
The supermarket now had procedures for ensuring items were removed from sale before their use by date, he said.
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Mr Thompson said the family complained to City of York Council after they suffered vomiting and diarrhoea and had to go to accident and emergency at Friarage Hospital in Northallerton.
They had eaten turkey salami bought on August 1 which should have been removed from sale before July 13.
A family suffered food poisoning after buying meat from a York supermarket (Image: Press Association)
On August 6, council officers went to the supermarket and found on sale: turkey toast salami with a use by date of July 13; butter fat, use by date of June 26; halal meat, use by date of July 28; garlic dip, use by date of August 3; and houmous, use by date of July 27; and confiscated them all.
At the beginning of September officers on a separate investigation carried out test purchases and found single-use vapes that were illegal to sell in England - and food on sale after its use by date.
Some of the food for sale at Zam Zam supermarket past its use by date (Image: City of York Council)
Trading standards officers then returned to the supermarket twice.
On September 3 they found on sale chicken breast and chicken with paprika both with a use by date of August 6; feta cheese with green olives, use by date of August 28; and sliced mortadella, use by date of September 1; and on September 8 they found chicken and olives salami with a use by date of August 3; edam cheese and filo pastry with a use by date of September 6 and yoghurt with a use by date of September 7.
Mr Patel said the company now only bought vapes from legitimate suppliers.
Zam Zam supermarket has a turnover of £1.6 million, the court heard.