Chook shop owner says $4000 penalty for rat and mess in store ‘over the top’

THE owner of a chicken shop, who was slapped with a $4000 fine for dodgy food practices including a rat found inside the eatery, says the reaction from health inspectors was “over the top”.

THE owner of Mountain Gate Charcoal Chicken is crying fowl after his business was hit with a hefty fine over food safety breaches.

The takeaway restaurant on Ferntree Gully Rd was found guilty of a series of offences, including failing to prevent pests entering the premises and having dirty food preparation and food storage areas.

The business was ordered to pay a $4000 fine and $1400 in costs.

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But Owner Yifeng Li said the shop was unfairly treated and Knox Council’s food safety inspectors had visited in what was a “disastrous” few days, where there was a build-up of unemptied bins out the front of the store.

He said there was one rat in the shop but he called a pest removalist who killed the rodent the next day.

“Basically a lot of bad things happened at the same time,” he said.

Mr Li was critical of what he said was a “ridiculous” and “over the top” reaction by the food safety inspectors.

He said he had requested an extra week to tidy up the store but the inspectors returned the following day.

Mr Li, who has owned the business for two years, said it had since been cleaned up and there had been no more issues with build-up of waste or rats.

At the Ringwood Magistrates’ Court, the business was found guilty of a series of offences including “failing to maintain food premises to a standard of cleanliness where there is no accumulation of food waste; dirt; grease; or other visible matter” and “failing to take all practicable measures to prevent pests entering the food premises”.

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