A Birmingham takeaway owner has been fined after a customer was hospitalized with food poisoning allegedly linked to a burger purchased from the shop. Zulfiqar Ali, director of Al-Shazan Ltd located on Stratford Road, pleaded guilty to multiple food safety and information regulation breaches occurring between May and September 2025. The company also admitted similar charges.
During a hearing at Birmingham Magistrates Court on June 4, it was revealed that a customer who ordered a chicken burger had to be admitted to hospital overnight after an infection was confirmed. While defense lawyers stated there was no definitive proof the illness was caused by food from Al-Shazan, prosecutors presented evidence of serious hygiene failures.
Environmental health officers' inspection in April 2024 found meat being stored at unsafe temperatures, cooked meats placed alongside raw meats risking cross-contamination, and staff handling raw meat without proper hygiene practices such as glove use or hand-washing. Furthermore, Ali failed to provide accurate ingredient and allergen information for menu items despite repeated warnings and required remedial actions.
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Even after a schedule of corrective works was issued, follow-up inspections showed that documentation and food allergy information were still inadequately maintained. Prosecutors argued these ongoing breaches demonstrated a flagrant disregard for food safety laws.
Al-Shazan currently holds a low food hygiene rating of 1, assigned after the July 2024 inspection. Defense counsel Sukhdip Randhawa emphasized the absence of direct evidence linking the infection to the takeaway’s food and highlighted improvements made since. Independent audits were commissioned, procedures overhauled, and subsequent inspections found no further cross-contamination issues. The business is awaiting potential reclassification of its hygiene rating.
Randhawa also noted that Al-Shazan has no prior convictions, has remained operational throughout, and the owner intends to sell the shop due to financial struggles. Magistrates fined Ali and the business £1,000 each, imposed £400 surcharges per party, and ordered a combined £1,500 in costs.