Scrutiny leads to fine for UK salad importer

A Kent-based fresh produce importer has been fined ’2,700 after marketing two separate consignments of Spanish tomatoes and cucumbers which were deemed not fit for human consumption.

Fortuna Frutos (UK) Limited, of Paddock Wood, admitted two separate breaches of EC marketing standards for fresh horticultural produce in Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on February 28th..

The charges against the company involved delivering and marketing two regulated consignments of Spanish tomatoes and cucumbers which were inspected by the Horticultural Marketing Inspectorate (HMI) ’ part of the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) - at Birmingham wholesale market in June last year.

The produce did not meet the minimum marketable standards allowed. Nearly a quarter (24%) of the tomatoes were rotting with visible mould deposits and almost three-quarters (72%) of the cucumbers had wet rots. ’’

The Company was fined ’1,350 for each quality offence, making a total fine of ’2,700.’ Prosecution and investigation costs of ’4,733.31 were also awarded making a total financial liability of ’7,433.31 plus the victims’ surcharge of ’15

Operations Director of the RPA, Paul Caldwell, said ’Our inspectors carried out a series of visits following concerns at the substandard quality of salad goods the company had provided to markets over several months. In the interests of consumers and the fruit and vegetable industry generally, we resorted to prosecution after concerted efforts by our inspectors to work closely with the firm’s proprietor and staff failed to achieve improved compliance.’