Greenford Food Supplier Fined £20,000
Gradegold Catering put inaccurate sell by dates on fresh produce
Incorrectly dated item's found on the company's premises. Picture: Ealing Council
December 19, 2025
A Greenford food manufacturer that supplies ready‑to‑eat fruit and vegetables to trade customers — including airline caterers — has been fined £20,000 after Ealing Council inspectors uncovered serious food safety failings that magistrates said could have put the public at risk.
Gradegold Catering Limited, based at Kelvin Industrial Estate on Long Drive, appeared at Ealing Magistrates’ Court on Friday 5 December, where it pleaded guilty to two offences: failing to implement legally required food‑safety procedures based on HACCP principles, and using labels likely to mislead customers about the quality and safety of food.
The court heard that during an unannounced inspection in October 2024, council officers found products including lettuce, grapes, melon and mango labelled with packing dates set in the future and with unlawfully extended ‘use by’ dates. Officers said the false labelling created a risk that food could be sold after it had become unsafe to eat.
Ready‑to‑eat chilled foods with a shelf life of five days or more can support the growth of harmful bacteria such as listeria monocytogenes, making accurate dating essential. Inspectors concluded that Gradegold had failed to comply with food‑safety regulations designed to prevent such risks.
All mislabelled food was voluntarily disposed of at the time of the inspection, and a follow‑up visit confirmed that correct labelling had been reinstated. However, the court was told that the offences were likely to have stemmed from a deliberate breach of the law and that the company had a poor compliance history, with major issues identified during previous inspections.
In addition to the £20,000 fine, Gradegold Catering Limited was ordered to pay more than £7,700 in costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge.
Councillor Kamaljit Nagpal, Ealing Council’s cabinet member for decent living incomes, said the case demonstrated why robust enforcement was necessary.
“Protecting the health and safety of the public is a top priority for us, and in this case there could have been implications far beyond the borders of our borough,” she said. “We will always take strong action against businesses that ignore the rules and put people at risk. Our food safety team works hard to make sure that residents can trust the food they eat.”
The prosecution forms part of a wider programme of enforcement activity by the council this term, which has included 6,400 food‑safety inspections, 26 prosecutions resulting in nearly £500,000 in fines and legal costs, and a rise in compliance rates from 82% to 88%. Officers have also seized more than 130,000 illicit cigarettes, 75kg of contraband shisha and over 25,000 illegal vapes.
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