A Southall-based sandwich company, Bread Spread Ltd, has been ordered to pay nearly £47,000 after pleading guilty to 21 serious food hygiene offences.

The company, which distributes sandwiches and other food products to supermarkets and convenience stores across the UK, repeatedly failed to meet hygiene standards despite multiple warnings and enforcement notices from Ealing Council.

On 4 March 2025, Bread Spread Ltd and its director, Premalkumar Patel, appeared at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court, where they admitted to numerous food safety breaches.

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The breaches includes:

• Mislabeling sandwiches with incorrect shelf-life dates
• Poor hygiene standards at its production facility
• Failure to comply with council-issued improvement notices

The court also heard that a national product recall was necessary to protect public health after unsafe food was linked to the company.

As a result:

• Bread Spread Ltd and Premalkumar Patel were each fined £14,000, plus a £2,000 victim surcharge
• The company was ordered to pay £13,835 in prosecution costs
• Manager Ronak Patel was fined £673 and ordered to pay a £269 victim surcharge, bringing his total penalty to £942

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Listeria Risk and Public Health Concerns

Environmental health officers found that listeria monocytogenes, a potentially life-threatening bacterium, was present in Bread Spread Ltd’s factory. This bacteria poses severe health risks, particularly to pregnant women, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems. Listeria can cause serious infections such as meningitis and septicaemia, with a mortality rate of up to 30% in vulnerable individuals. During inspections in April and May 2024, council officers discovered:

• Sandwiches exceeding their legal shelf life
• Poor cleaning and maintenance of food preparation areas
• Inadequate handwashing facilities
• Food at risk of contamination

Further tests confirmed that listeria was present on a tomato slicer, even after it had been cleaned.

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Emergency Shutdown and Food Recall

• On 7 May 2024, the UK Health Security Agency alerted Ealing Council that listeria had been detected in two of Bread Spread Ltd’s sandwiches.
• The next day, council officers shut down the company’s production by serving a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice.
• However, a surprise follow-up inspection later that month found that Bread Spread Ltd was still producing food under unsafe conditions.
• On 11 May 2024, the Food Standards Agency issued a nationwide recall of all sandwiches and salads produced by Bread Spread Ltd under the brand names Bread Spread, Orbital Foods, and Perfect Bite.

Council Response

Councillor Kamaljit Nagpal, cabinet member for decent living incomes, praised the swift enforcement action: "Thanks to swift and coordinated action by council officers and our partners at national agencies, this business has been held accountable for the filthy conditions in its factory."

This case serves as a clear warning to food businesses that ignoring hygiene standards will not be tolerated.

Picture: Ealing Council