Birmingham Firm Hit with £62,000 Fine for Halal Mislabelling

Highgate Food Firm Fined Over Halal Claim

A Birmingham-based company, JKY Food Solutions Limited, has been handed a hefty fine of £35,000 after admitting to selling non-Halal meat while claiming it was Halal. The verdict was delivered at Birmingham Crown Court on 10 September 2014.

The case against JKY Food Solutions Limited, formerly located at 96 Bissell Street, Highgate, stemmed from an incident where a Trading Standards officer purchased a 12.03kg box of chicken that was falsely labelled as Halal.

Operation Swordfish Uncovers Deception

In addition to the fine, the company was ordered to pay £26,910 in court costs, along with a £120 victim surcharge. The prosecution was brought under the General Food Regulations 2004.

The investigation began on 19 July 2012, when Trading Standards officers visited the company's wholesale premises as part of "Operation Swordfish," a city-wide initiative targeting the mislabelling of Halal and non-Halal meat. An officer, posing as a customer preparing for Ramadan, was shown chicken products in the freezer. The officer noticed a serial code (IE 803 EC) that raised suspicions, prompting further investigation into the supplier.

False Assurance and Seized Evidence

When the officer purchased a box of chicken for £22, he was assured it was Halal. The receipt even confirmed this in Arabic. However, a subsequent warrant executed on 12 August 2012, by Trading Standards officers and West Midlands Police at the Highgate wholesaler, led to the seizure of documentation and a box of chicken.

The seized documents revealed that JKY Food Solutions Limited had received over 270 boxes of non-Halal chicken for sale between April 2012 and July 2012.

Irish Supplier Confirms Non-Halal Status

Further investigations revealed that the meat sold to the officer originated from a registered wholesaler in Co. Meath, Ireland. The supplier confirmed that they had not traded in Halal chicken "for some months" prior to the incident.

While under investigation, JKY Food Solutions Limited was allowed to continue trading from its Highgate premises. The company has since relocated to 126 Leopold Street, Highgate.