Factory worker accused of spitting in and spiking restaurant sauces and dips

A food factory worker contaminated restaurant-bound sauces and dips with ring pulls and rubber gloves, a court has heard.

Garry Jones, 38, is accused of spiking containers of sauces and dips while working on a production line.

Worcester Magistrates' Court heard Jones deliberately added fish sauce to non-fish dressings and contaminated others with sesame and chilli sauce.

Jones tampered with the sauces while working at Harvey & Brockless Fine Food Company in Evesham, Worcestershire, the court heard.

A small number of Nando's hummus tubs were contaminated with blue plastic gloves and blue paper towels at the factory.

His charge read: "Between 1 October, 2022, and 1 November, 2022, with intent to cause public alarm or injury to members of the public – contaminated or interfered with goods.

"Namely 24 hummus tubs with rubber gloves, plastics bags and metal ring pulls; metal ring pulls in tubs of sesame and ginger dressing, sesame miso dressing and Vietnamese chilli and ginger dressing; and poured fish sauce into dressings which should not contain fish."

Mark Hambling, prosecuting, said Jones was involved in the production of the tubs of sauces and dips at the firm which were then distributed to restaurants.

He said: “Tubs began being returned to the company as contaminated leading the firm to investigate.”

He added that restaurants, where the product was later served, would say 'does not contain fish' on their menus – so it would be potentially deadly if consumed by someone with an intolerance.

Hambling said on one occasion Jones had been caught on CCTV poking a hole in a plastic container which he then spat into.

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Jones also faces a charge of burglary with intent to steal from the home of a co-worker.

Mark Turnbull, defending, described the charges as "unusual", as they were ones he had never seen before.

Jones, of Evesham, entered no plea to a charge of contaminating/interfering with goods with intent.

He was given conditional bail and ordered to attend Worcester Crown Court on 12 July for sentencing.

A spokesperson from Harvey & Brockless Fine Food Company said: “A small number of hummus tubs were contaminated with plastic and paper towel fragments. However, this was rapidly identified as part of our quality control processes and these products were immediately recalled and destroyed before they reached any consumers.”

This article was updated on 12 June