Restaurant fined after 29 suffered food poisoning

A restaurant and its director have been ordered to pay more than £40,000 after a food poisoning outbreak saw 29 diners get infected with a strain of salmonella not seen before in the UK.

Palm by H20 Limited, in Coventry, was fined more than £22,000 after its director Mohammed Naveed pleaded guilty to food hygiene offences, at the city's magistrates court in September, the city council said.

The council was notified of the outbreak in June last year, after the victims suffered severe gastrointestinal symptoms.

It said people eating at the restaurant reported blood in their stools, sickness, fainting and fever - with some hospitalised for further treatment. The restaurant has been approached for comment.

Naveed was sentenced at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on 9 November where he received two fines of £6,500 and £10,186.55 and ordered to pay a £2,000 victim surcharge.

An investigation was launched with the UK Health Security Agency, which confirmed that 17 of the 18 collected stool samples were infected by the same strain of salmonella.

Aside from eating at the restaurant, no other factors common to all individuals could explain their infection, said the council.

Hygiene officers had attended the restaurant and observed poor hygiene practices by staff working in the kitchen, including:

• The absence of evidence of appropriate handwashing

• A failure to appreciate the risks associated with storing and handling raw meat

• A lack of appropriate training

• Failure to protect food against contamination

As a result of the findings, Naveed agreed to voluntarily shut the restaurant until food safety conditions had been improved to the satisfaction of the investigating officers.

The premises was re-scored at the time of the visit and moved from a food hygiene rating of 5 (very good) to a 1 (major improvement necessary).

Palm by H2O paid and applied for a further re-scoring visit and as the improved conditions had been maintained, a rating of 5 was awarded on 19 August 2024.

Officers inspected the premises again on 14 January 2025 and found very good conditions had been maintained and the score of 5 was retained.

Food safety officers said: "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.

"The people became very ill having eaten at Palm by H2O.

"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."

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