A company director has been jailed for illegally selling food supplements from his Pontymister shop.
Jeffrey Young, 46, of Heol Onnen, Bridgend, was handed a 35-week sentence by magistrates following a Caerphilly County Borough Council Trading Standards investigation into the labelling of products sold through JY Nutrition Limited of Commercial Street, Pontymister.
The court was told how Trading Standards officers visited the shop in November last year.
Young admitted 12 offences related to selling unsafe food which failed to state the presence of allergens, misdescribed food, failing to provide details of the traceability of food, and mislabelling of food in terms of nutrition claims, health claims and supplements. One of the offences also related to the fraudulent use of a Trademark.
At a hearing on October 16, Cwmbran Magistrates were told that in February 2016, both Young and his company were also convicted of broadly similar offences following a Trading Standards investigation, which led to him being handed a 26-week prison sentence, suspended for two years.
Magistrates ruled that due to “possible consequences and potential of the products to do harm” along with a “previous conviction of a like nature”, that a custodial sentence was appropriate.
Mr Young was sentenced to between ten and 23 weeks for each of the offences, to run concurrently. The court also activated his suspended sentence, reducing it to 12 weeks due to him entering a guilty plea, making the total sentence 35 weeks.
He was also ordered to pay £1,100 costs to Caerphilly County Borough Council within 14 days of his release from prison, and ordered to pay a £115 victim surcharge. In addition, all products seized during the Trading Standards inspection were ordered to be forfeited for destruction.
Cllr Eluned Stenner, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Public Protection, said: “These offences were extremely serious, particularly as undeclared ingredients can cause potentially fatal allergic reactions.
“In the case of Mr Young, soya and milk protein present in the food was found to have not been declared.
“Our Trading Standards team work tirelessly to ensure that residents can go about their lives safely, and it’s pleasing the court has highlighted the seriousness of the offences in the sanction it has imposed.”
Pre-packed food and drink, by law, must clearly state on the label if it contains any of the 14 common food ingredients that cause allergies and intolerances.