BBQ business owner fined after skinning and butchering wild game in his garden

Ionut Adrian Apetroaie appeared at Swindon Magistrates Court on Monday (18 Nov) after pleading guilty to seven charges relating to the business he was operating at his home in Marigold Close, Haydon Wick.

Mr Apetroaie admitted failing to register his business with Swindon Borough Council, not having a food safety management system in place, not having appropriate controls to keep food safe, not displaying allergen information and failing to protect foods from contamination.

The 44-year-old also admitted a charge of failing to have appropriate labels on the food he was selling to enable it to be traceable.

At a previous hearing last year, a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice was served on Mr Apetroaie to prevent him from operating his business after officers from the Council’s Environmental Health team and Wiltshire Police’s Rural Crime Team seized between 200 and 300kg of meat, meat preparations and other foods from the address.

The court heard how officers found evidence that a business under the name of ‘Romeat’ was being run from the address.

Sausages, Kofte and burgers were being made on site but there were no suitable hygienic areas in which to safely produce the food or store the equipment. Much of the equipment was stored in a breeze block garage alongside DIY tools and assorted domestic items.

Skinning and butchering deer, pheasants, rabbits and wild boar had also been taking place in the garden of the address as part of the business, with the carcasses being hung from a pull-up bar to ease the process. Such activities can only take place in a suitably hygienic environment.

Some activities considered high risk such as vacuum packing and smoking had taken place without the required controls in place. Products found at the address had non-compliant labels or no labels. The traceability information for food on site was poor or non-existent.

Officers also found that some foods had been out of temperature control since the early hours of the morning, and there was no empty refrigerated storage space in which to store them. Waste and animal by products from the business had been put into the domestic black bin, against requirements.

At Monday’s (18 Nov) hearing, District Judge Joanna Dickens heard how Mr Apetroaie would visit Smithfield Market and Billingsgate Market in London to collect food for himself, as well as for family, friends and members of the community who made orders for food to him via WhatsApp or social media.

The court was told how Mr Apetroaie also advertised himself as an event catering business for hire and organised some themed events, like a chess competition, summer BBQ and a planned Halloween party.

Mr Apetroaie said he thought he was doing all he needed to by getting food hygiene training and insurance and that he tried to check what the requirements were but asked a parish council, instead of a municipal authority.

District Judge Dickens fined Mr Apetroaie £1,300 and ordered he pay £3,000 costs as well as a victim surcharge of £520.

Councillor Jim Grant, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Partnerships, said: “This individual put people’s health at risk by selling food without any traceability and the appropriate allergen information.

“This case was made even more serious because he failed to register his business with the Council. This requirement is in place so we can advise business owners of the safety procedures and practices they need to follow in order to protect members of the public.

“Had we been aware of this business, our officers would have also ensured that an effective food management system was in place.

“Unfortunately, this didn’t happen and I hope this successful prosecution serves as a reminder that we will take strong action if we find that business owners play fast and loose with the food hygiene regulations that are there to keep people safe.”