Highlights
- Restaurant and director Mohammed Naveed ordered to pay more than £40,000 in total penalties.
- 17 of 18 stool samples confirmed infected with same rare salmonella strain.
- Victims suffered severe symptoms including blood in stools, hospitalisation and ongoing health issues.
A Coventry restaurant and its director have been ordered to pay over £40,000 after a food poisoning outbreak infected 29 diners with a strain of salmonella not previously seen in the UK.
Palm by H20 Limited was fined more than £22,000 after director Mohammed Naveed pleaded guilty to food hygiene offences at Coventry Magistrates' Court in September, the city council announced.
Coventry Council was notified of the outbreak in June last year after victims reported severe gastrointestinal symptoms. Diners suffered blood in their stools, sickness, fainting and fever, with some requiring hospitalisation for further treatment.
Naveed was sentenced at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on November (9), receiving fines of £6,500 and £10,186.55, plus a £2,000 victim surcharge.
An investigation with the UK Health Security Agency confirmed that 17 of 18 collected stool samples were infected by the same salmonella strain.
The council said no other factors common to all individuals besides eating at the restaurant could explain their infection.
Hygiene and recovery
Hygiene officers who attended the premises observed poor hygiene practices by kitchen staff, including absence of evidence of appropriate handwashing, failure to appreciate risks associated with storing and handling raw meat, lack of appropriate training, and failure to protect food against contamination.
Following the findings, Naveed voluntarily shut the restaurant until food safety conditions improved. The premises dropped from a food hygiene rating of 5 (very good) to 1 (major improvement necessary).
After improvements, Palm by H20 regained a rating of 5 on 19 August 2024. Officers inspecting the premises on 14 January 2025 found very good conditions had been maintained.
Food safety officers told BBC "Sadly, the food poisoning outbreak has had a profound and long-lasting effect upon many of the individuals who contracted the salmonella strain and many of them are still suffering now with physical and mental repercussions of their diagnoses."
They added "Given the absence of measures in place to prevent cross-contamination in the kitchen, and the total lack of food hygiene understanding demonstrated by those working at the restaurant, especially concerning the storage and handling of raw meat, this is unfortunately unsurprising."
