London egg packer and wholesaler found guilty of egg marketing fraud
A London egg packer and wholesaler has been fined for extending ‘best before’ dates on eggs and breaching compliance notices issued by APHA egg marketing inspectors.
Ziya Gorur pleaded not guilty before the District Judge at Waltham Forest Magistrates Court on Thursday 21 January, but was found guilty on all 4 charges after a 3 and a half hour trial.
He was fined £2,515 (£500 per offence plus £500 court costs and a £15 surcharge) under the Eggs and Chicks (England) Regulations 2009.
In summing up, the District Judge praised the professional manner in which the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) egg marketing inspectors carried out their enforcement roles.
When Ziya Gorur was inspected by APHA, inspectors found that eggs at 2 separate stalls at New Spitalfields Market, Leyton, had been falsely dated. Batches of eggs were found to be individually marked on the shell with a date of 25 April, despite the eggs having been re-packed with a label showing a best before date of either 8 or 10 May.
At around the same time, egg marketing inspectors issued 2 compliance notices to Mr Gorur regarding 2 batches of eggs that had been downgraded for failing to meet the class A quality standards. Despite clear instructions both verbally and in writing, Mr Gorur chose not to adhere to these requirements, breaching both compliance notices.
APHA Lead Inspector Tim Platt, said:
Consumers rely on honest egg marketing to ensure that the eggs they buy are fresh and safe to eat. This case should serve as a warning and reminder that APHA enforces egg marketing legislation robustly and that deliberate transgressions result in tough sanctions for those not willing to comply.