York takeaway owner banned from running a food business over numerous safety failings

A filthy kitchen, contamination hazards and food hygiene failures have cost a takeaway owner his business.

Di Wu pleaded guilty to multiple food safety charges at his Hong Kong Chop House business on Swinegate at York Magistrates on Tuesday (11 February).

Wu, 35, of Walney Road, York, is the director of Infinity Hardheadedness Ltd, the business operator of Hong Kong Chop House.

He was banned from operating a food business and ordered to pay a total of £4,430 following continued poor hygiene conditions and breaching food safety regulations, despite previous convictions.

City of York Council environmental health officers carried out two food safety inspections at Hong Kong Chop House between December 2018 and February 2019.

During this period the business failed to achieve a food hygiene rating higher than one, and was broadly non-compliant with food safety regulations for a period of five years.

Multiple hygiene breaches

Officers identified issues including poor equipment and premise cleanliness, failing to protect food against contamination, failure to implement and maintain food safety procedures and failure to comply with an earlier hygiene improvement notice issued October 2017.

Wu and Infinity Hardheadedness Ltd were prosecuted in August 2018 for failure to comply with five hygiene improvement notices, failure to protect food against contamination and failure to keep premises clean and in good condition at Hong Kong Chop House.

Executive member for economy and strategic planning Cllr Andrew Waller said:

• York is home to a variety of food establishments and we will continue to ensure that standards are met and that customers are confident in the quality of the food they are being served in the city.

  The takeaway was given advice and multiple opportunities to improve, which it repeatedly failed to abide by.