The owner of a Chinese restaurant in Co Tipperary that breached hygiene regulations was fined €500 and ordered to pay €671 costs by Judge Michael Reilly at Nenagh District Court yesterday.
Mr Wang Ho, also known as Benny Ho, proprietor of the Golden Star Chinese Restaurant, McDonagh Street, Nenagh, was before the court on 10 separate charges of breaching European Community (Hygiene of Foodstuffs) Regulations, 2000.
The court was told that when an environmental health officer from the Mid-Western Health Board visited the premises on July 21st he found poor hygiene standards.
Raw food had been stored alongside cooked food, posing a risk of cross-contamination with toxins and bacteria. Foods were stored at incorrect temperatures.
The defendant pleaded guilty to four of the 10 charges, one of which stated that some staff in the food-handling area failed to maintain a high degree of personal cleanliness and did not wear suitable clean, and where appropriate protective, clothing.
An improvement notice was served on the premises the day after the inspection, and the terms of that order had since been complied with.
No previous conviction attached to the restaurant, but a separate improvement notice had been served in the past.