Fine for Waterloo sandwich bar at centre of salmonella outbreak

A sandwich bar at the centre of a salmonella outbreak that left two people hospitalised and as many as 15 others seriously ill has been fined following a prosecution brought by Lambeth Council.

A 32-year-old man and a 48-year-old woman had to be admitted to St Thomas’ Hospital last October following the outbreak at The Chunnel sandwich bar at 133 Lower Marsh, Waterloo, Lambeth.

Lambeth Council food safety staff who linked the cases to the Chunnel Bar swooped on the premises on October 9th, finding dirty and unhygienic conditions in the kitchen.

Swab samples sent to a laboratory confirmed salmonella covering chopping boards, work surfaces, cleaning towels and the chef’s cloth. Experts deemed the risk to the public to be so serious that they immediately closed the premises.

Alan Ward, Lambeth Council food safety officer, said: “Businesses that serve food to the public have a fundamental responsibility to make sure the food they are serving is safe.

"This business failed to follow even basic hygiene practices, which allowed salmonella to develop and then spread. In some ways it is fortunate that more people were not made seriously ill.”

Lambeth Council brought a total of eight cases under food safety regulations to Camberwell Green Magistrates’ Court. Patrick Goncalves, the owner, pleaded guilty on August 18 to all eight charges and was fined a total of £2,500 and ordered to pay costs of £500.

Following the closure, the council worked with the sandwich bar to improve hygiene conditions. It reopened on November 15 after the council was satisfied that the premises posed no further risk to the public.

Councillor Sally Prentice, Cabinet member for environment on Lambeth Council, said: “The work that the council’s food safety team does in protecting the public is absolutely essential and without the team’s swift intervention in this case more people would have become ill.”