A mobile catering van in Bradford was banned from serving customers with food allergies following a council inspection that uncovered severe hygiene and safety failures, uk.news.yahoo.com reported.
Environmental health officers inspected Jalebe Junction at 121 Southfield Lane in Canterbury on June 30, assigning the business a one-star food hygiene rating that indicates major improvement is necessary. Inspectors observed staff handling money and open food without washing their hands between tasks, while also working without protective clothing or nearby hand-drying facilities.
Structural issues inside the unit included a broken and dirty microwave, a floor requiring deep cleaning, and a hole beneath a sink temporarily covered with a plastic bottle to prevent pests. The business failed to provide a documented food safety management system or allergen information for its menu items, prompting officers to enforce an immediate ban on serving anyone declaring food allergies.
Inspectors noted that staff lacked proper training in allergen management and that the truck operated without a temperature probe to monitor food safety or necessary supplier traceability information. According to uk.news.yahoo.com, the report emphasized that providing allergen details is a legal requirement.
The business was informed that officials intended to return on August 13 to verify whether all legal requirements had been met. While those August inspection results remain unpublished, the food truck maintains its one-star rating on the Food Standards Agency website.
When reporters visited the site outside a Premier Convenience Store, the vehicle appeared boarded up, though observations indicate the business continues to operate. Repeated attempts by local journalists to contact the owners of Jalebe Junction for comment were unsuccessful.
The business was told it “must not serve persons declaring allergens” until proper training, documented management systems, and complete ingredient disclosures are fully established. Officials have left open the possibility for representatives of the food truck to respond to the findings.
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