Kosk Restaurant and its director have been ordered to pay more than £8,000 in fines and costs after inspections found a number of food safety and hygiene issues.
- Kosk Restaurant and director ordered to pay total of £8,653 following food safety failings
- Restaurant and management repeatedly failed to make necessary changes
- Enfield Council inspectors take a dim view of those who put residents’ health at risk
Kosk Restaurant in Edmonton and its director have been ordered to pay more than £8,000 in fines and costs after inspections found a number of food safety and hygiene issues.
The Director of Kosk Restaurant Ltd, Ismail Koca, pleaded guilty to five offences under the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013, including failure to comply with a Hygiene Improvement Notice, and two offences under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court on 18 January.
A food inspector from Enfield Council first visited the premises in August 2016 and found numerous food safety issues, including danger of cross-contamination and poor management of food safety. Kosk Restaurant Ltd and Mr. Koca were served with hygiene improvement notices to deal with these issues and to arrange training for food handlers.
A number of re-visits were made in 2016 and 2017, but the restaurant was nonetheless repeatedly found lacking in its food safety management. Despite being granted an extension to the period of compliance, improvements were not forthcoming. A further routine inspection was carried out in August 2017, where again the food safety management system notice was found to have not been complied with, and an unsafe mincer was also found at the premises.
At sentencing on 18 January, a total in fines, costs and victim surcharges of £8,653 was levied, including:
£5,000 fine, £1,500 costs and £120 victim surcharge for the food business operator Kosk Restaurant Ltd, totalling £6,620; and
£500 fine, £1,500 costs and £33 victim surcharge for the Director of the Ltd Company, Ismail Koca, totalling £2,033.
Enfield Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Cllr Daniel Anderson, said: "Enfield Council will not tolerate businesses who cannot or will not comply with the law. We take a very dim view of premises which fail to adhere to safe food standards and that endanger the health of our residents and seek to undermine our strong communities.
“Our food safety inspectors always provide advice as to how restaurants can improve their food handling, hygiene standards and training. In this case, their advice was ignored, and for that, the restaurant and its director have rightly paid a heavy penalty.”
To check the food hygiene rating of any restaurant, café or business that handles food, you can go to the Food Standards Agency.