A CURRY house owner has become one of the first to appear in court following a purge on takeaways and restaurants selling food contaminated with peanuts.
Saiful Islam appeared in Scarborough Magistrates Court yesterday for allegedly selling a contaminated chicken pasanda at The Spice Lounge in Church Street, Norton, last February.
Bosses of another restaurant in Richmond will also appear before Northallerton Magistrates on Monday to face similar allegations.
North Yorkshire trading standards bosses launched a crackdown following the death of allergy sufferer Paul Wilson a year ago.
Bar manager Mr Wilson, 31, a father, is believed to have eaten a curry contaminated with nuts in the Helperby area in January 2014.
The case led to a North Yorkshire-wide crackdown in which trading standards officers made test purchases from curry houses around the county, and said they believed as many as one in four meals could be contaminated.
Trading standards said an undercover officer had visited The Spice Lounge in February 2014.
Islam, 41, of Peel Street, Bradford, faces two charges under the 1990 Food Act and a third under the much tougher 2013 Food Safety and Hygiene Regulations.
According to the charges, the chicken passanda allegedly involved contained 59 grams of peanut despite a request it be peanut-free.
The charges allege the amount could have injured the health of someone with a peanut allergy and that the dish was described as containing almonds.
Islam did not attend court. A letter was read out from his solicitors saying he intended to deny all the charges.
Trading standards officer Nicola Pearson, prosecuting, applied for the case to be adjourned until January 30.
Ms Pearson said after the hearing two more cases involving peanut contamination will go before Northallerton magistrates court.
The first will be the Amontola Tandoori in Queens Road, Richmond, on Monday. Also appearing will be representatives Ali Askir and Helal Miah, court officials said.
They added another case was in the pipeline but no date had been set.
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