Morrisons Fined £737,000 in Morrisons Cwmbran Food Hygiene Fine Case
Morrisons has been fined £737,000 after Torfaen council environmental health officers found multiple hygiene breaches at its Cwmbran branch in August 2024 in the morrisons cwmbran food hygiene fine case. The bakery was shut immediately for deep cleaning after the inspection uncovered poor cleanliness, dirty equipment, inadequate staff supervision and food safety management failures.
Newport Magistrates' Court
Judge Sophie Toms told Newport Magistrates' Court on Thursday that “the case was not about a few rogue employees but that there were serious and systemic failures.” She added that Morrisons had risked customers' health and safety and perhaps put lives at risk.
The court heard that inspectors found 51 flaws in the store's food safety management, and that bosses had known about those flaws for more than a month. The original penalty was £1.1 million before an early plea reduced it to £737,000. Morrisons was also ordered to pay £11,221.38 in costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge.
Torfaen Council Action
Daniel Morelli, Torfaen council's public protection chief, said: “The council will not hesitate to take formal action where the health and well-being of consumers is placed at risk.” The case arose from a routine inspection rather than a planned investigation, and the council said the branch was dealt with through formal action after the failures were found.
Morrisons Bakery Response
Morrisons said it was “very disappointed in the condition of the bakery in August 2024” and that it “fell far short of the standard our customers expect and that we should provide.” The company said the problem was “a single local issue which was dealt with immediately by working closely with the council,” and added that “the improvement made has been consistently maintained.”
For customers, the practical outcome is clear: the bakery at the Cwmbran branch was closed for deep cleaning after the inspection, and the supermarket now faces a six-figure penalty tied to failures in how that section of the store was run.
