Tonnes of food to be destroyed at infested company

Around 30 tonnes of rice, dried beans, flour, lentils, semolina and other food from the Overseas Trading Company in the city’s East Bowling area is being destroyed by officials.

The food has been condemned as unfit for human consumption after sacks of produce were ripped apart by mice.

Magistrates in Bradford agreed last week that the warehouse should be closed down until the site or food stored there no longer posed a health risk and this week Bradford Council was granted a court order condemning the food.

A number of other authorities across the region and beyond have been alerted about companies the warehouse may have supplied with produce, thought to be unfit for human consumption.

Yesterday Kirklees Council confirmed food had been seized in the Kirklees district and said produce had been taken off the shelves at seven companies.

In a statement the local authority said last night: “Food has been detained from seven Kirklees companies following information on rodent infestation at this company.”

Other local authorities that have been alerted about the problem include Leeds, where the authority said environmental health officers have also seized stock from a number of premises in the city, and the Bolton and Manchester areas.

Angela Brindle, environmental health manager at Bradford Council, said yesterday: “We have obtained a customer list from the company and have contacted all the local authorities with customers in their area.

“All the local authorities have visited these premises and detained anything which has been purchased from this company.”

She said after the order had been granted the other local affected authorities will ensure that food purchased from the company is condemned.

“We will also take steps to ensure that the customer list has not omitted anyone else who purchased food from them.

“Investigations will continue and we will consider further formal action against this company,” she added.

The investigation was launched after rodent droppings were found in a packet of rice traced back to the Overseas Trading Company warehouse in Rutland Street.

Officers from Leeds City Council had found the packages of goods containing rodent droppings at a Leeds shop, which were traced back to the trading company, which describes itself as an importer, wholesaler and distributor of tropical food.

Yesterday council bosses in Leeds confirmed the West Yorkshire investigation had got under way after the environmental health officer discovered contaminated stock being sold in shops locally.

A spokesman for Leeds City Council said; “The product was originally discovered in Leeds, having been sold locally as a packed product.

“The affected stock at the Leeds shop was detained by the investigating officer, preventing it being sold.

“The officer traced its supply back to the Bradford company who produce the retail size packs from bulk stock.

“Bradford Council was alerted and, following their investigation and discoveries, they were able to notify other local authorities where it was believed that shops had been supplied with the affected stock.

“A number of these are in Leeds. These have all been visited and any affected stock detained, removing it from sale and enabling it to be properly disposed of.”

Magistrates in Bradford heard that when officers first visited the warehouse the smell of rodent urine and droppings was overpowering.

The court hearing was told by Harjit Ryatt, representing Bradford Council, that further investigations showed there was clearly an active rodent infestation on the premises.

Environmental health officers had also found hundreds of packets and bags of dried food which they considered to be unfit for human consumption when they visited the company’s warehouse in Rutland Street earlier this month.

Officers from Bradford Council seized and detained the food until they were able to apply for an order to condemn it. That can now go ahead after a court order was granted to the local authority this week.

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