Asda has been fined £1,000 for selling substandard fruit and vegetables as a result of a ruling by the House of Lords on whether certain EU regulations are applicable to the UK.
The supermarket was prosecuted by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs four years ago for breaches of EU regulations at its store in Fareham, Hampshire.
But the case was thrown out after the judge ruled that British law had not been changed to keep up with EU regulations.
This decision was upheld by the High Court, but Defra took its case to the House of Lords where it was decided EU rules should apply in the UK,
therefore allowing Asda to be prosecuted under them.
On Monday the case against Asda was again heard at Portsmouth Magistrates Court where the supermarket was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £6,000 costs.
The store had been selling damaged Iceberg lettuces, aubergines that were not fresh or clean, oranges, plums and lemons that carried no country of origin or quality class, clementines with no class information and cooking apples which were not marked with their variety.
A spokesman for Asda, which had denied the charges, said: “We always thought there was no case to plead to, which is why we challenged these EU rules all the way through to the House of Lords.
“The very small fine we have received this week tells its own story. However, we will continue to adhere to European Union horticulture regulations and have no intention of not doing so in the future.”
Amy Balchin
The supermarket was prosecuted by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs four years ago for breaches of EU regulations at its store in Fareham, Hampshire.
But the case was thrown out after the judge ruled that British law had not been changed to keep up with EU regulations.
This decision was upheld by the High Court, but Defra took its case to the House of Lords where it was decided EU rules should apply in the UK,
therefore allowing Asda to be prosecuted under them.
On Monday the case against Asda was again heard at Portsmouth Magistrates Court where the supermarket was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £6,000 costs.
The store had been selling damaged Iceberg lettuces, aubergines that were not fresh or clean, oranges, plums and lemons that carried no country of origin or quality class, clementines with no class information and cooking apples which were not marked with their variety.
A spokesman for Asda, which had denied the charges, said: “We always thought there was no case to plead to, which is why we challenged these EU rules all the way through to the House of Lords.
“The very small fine we have received this week tells its own story. However, we will continue to adhere to European Union horticulture regulations and have no intention of not doing so in the future.”
Amy Balchin
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