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Four suspected food fraudsters sold cheap waste meat which should have been used in pet food to the public despite being ‘unfit for human consumption’ in pursuit of ‘massive profits’, a court has heard.
Animal parts including lamb testes, cows feet and tongues were diverted from being used in pet food and sold to people during the Covid lockdown, Inner London Crown Court was told.
A visit by Southwark Council’s Food Safety Team to an unhygienic, secret, illegal ‘cutting room’, where 1.9tons of meat and poultry were seized, uncovered the scam, the jury heard.
Anthony Fear, 61 and his company Fear Animal Products Ltd, alongside the business’ manager Mark Hooper, 62, Ali Afzal, 44, and Azar Irshad, 37, are charged with conspiracy to defraud by diverting animal by-product and failing to comply with food regulations between June 1 and September 22, 2020.
Prosecuting, Ryan Thompson said: ‘This is a case of food fraud. These defendants conspired together to defraud by taking meat and poultry animal by-product that was unfit for human consumption and diverting it into the food chain and were motivated by massive profits.’
A visit by Southwark Council’s Food Safety Team to an unhygienic, secret, illegal ‘cutting room’, where 1.9tons of meat and poultry were seized, uncovered the scam, the jury heard. Pictured: Anthony Fear, 61, who owns Fear Animal Products Ltd
Among the meat seized were 160kilos of lamb testes and the labels on the by-product led investigators to Fear and Hooper. Pictured: Mark Hooper, 62, the manager of Fear Animal Products Ltd
The case involves animal parts deemed ‘low risk’ yet still unfit for people to consume, the jury heard.
‘This is frequently used for pet food and has a low value,’ the prosecutor said.
Council officers visited the Walworth premises, which were only accessible via a secure gated narrow walkway to the rear and another business to the front, on September 22, 2020. Among the meat seized were 160kilos of lamb testes and the labels on the by-product led investigators to Fear and Hooper. Both are involved in running Fear Animal Products Ltd. said Mr. Thompson.
The prosecution say Afzal and Irshal were responsible for the Walworth premises, which were unclean, lacked facilities such as hot water and had illegal food stock that should not be sold to the public.
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The court heard Southwark Council were tipped-off by the National Food Crime Unit in March, 2020 about the selling of illegal meat, but an inspector could not access the cutting room premises.
‘Via a flat roof he saw this premises and took a photo of it and noticed a foul odour of rotting meat coming from the ventilation fan,’ explained Mr Thompson.
Ali Afzal, 44, was charged alongside Azar Irshad, 37, with seven counts of failing to comply with food regulations and individually each face one count of failing to comply with the regulations
The prosecution say Irshad (right) and Afzal were responsible for the Walworth premises, which were unclean, lacked facilities such as hot water and had illegal food stock that should not be sold to the public
Southwark Council returned on September 22, gaining access via a blocked door from another business and found two workers inside.
‘There was a large quantity of raw poultry being cut up, skinned and washed and lemon juice was used to try and clean the chicken and there was a water hosepipe,’ he said. ‘The condition of the premises was extremely poor. There was no hot water for hand-washing, just a hose and there was chipped and missing paint on the walls.’
In a large chiller was found 160 kilos of lamb testes, two kilos of beef burgers and in a black bin liner illegal sheep’s heads along with cows feet and tongues.
The jury were told labels on the by-products led them to companies in Wales and Cornwall, from which Fear Animal Products Ltd. collected the ‘low risk’ meat.
Fear Animal Products Ltd. was responsible for transporting tons of the meat to Doncaster, where it became pet food, but instead it ended up in a secret Walworth cutting room, destined for human consumption, the jury heard.
The trial continues.
