THE co-directors of the Llanwenarth Arms were fined £40,000 and £5,500 costs after pleading guilty on behalf of the business to charges of selling food that was unfit to eat and harmful to health.
John West and Richard Wallace, had their case heard at Abergavenny Magistrates Court.
The court heard that in April 2008 Environmental Health Officers at Monmouthshire County Council (MCC) received a number of reports of people becoming ill with salmonella infection. Investigations soon identified a common link - the Llanwenarth Arms Hotel in Abergavenny.
The court heard that the cause of the outbreak was linked to the use of raw shell eggs in a range of uncooked foods, including mayonnaise, ice-cream, hollandaise sauce and Kiwi Parfait desert. The court heard that in preparing food the business had not followed its own documented food safety procedures, based upon Hazard Analysis at Critical Control Points (HACCP).
Councillor Bryan Jones, MCC's Cabinet Member for Regulatory Services, said, "This was a very serious outbreak which made a lot of people ill. I would like to commend the prompt action of our Environmental Health department which quickly identified and eliminated the source of the outbreak and possibly prevented many more cases."
Gillian Dicken, MCC's Principal Environmental Health Officer said:
"This case sends out a very strong message to all food businesses of the importance of having in place an effective food safety management system. It once again underlines that raw shell eggs should not be used in uncooked or lightly cooked foods. It is not possible to guarantee that any egg is free from salmonella bacteria."
Councillor Jones said:
"The vigilance of local GPs in bringing suspected cases to our attention was a vital factor in bringing this outbreak to light. I would also like to acknowledge the support that our officers had from the National Public Health Service and neighbouring authorities in contributing to the work of the Outbreak Control Team.
"Since the outbreak we have been working with the hotel to achieve a good arrangement for food safety."salmonella infection