Crawley Takeaway Fined After Food Safety Breaches Identified

West Sussex County Council Trading Standards has identified serious food safety breaches at a takeaway in Crawley following a covert test purchase.

An officer carried out the test purchase at Spice World in September 2024, buying a lamb doner kebab and specifically asking whether it contained milk. Staff incorrectly assured the officer that it did not.

However, laboratory analysis later confirmed the presence of milk protein in the kebab, making it unsafe for people with milk allergies.

The inspection formed part of a follow-up investigation to assess compliance after a previous prosecution.

On 4 April 2024, EH Enterprise Limited – trading as Spice World – along with its director Zeshan Ul Haq and manager Ashan Ul Haq were convicted at Crawley Magistrates' Court.

They were fined for supplying unsafe food by providing incorrect allergen information and misdescribing a lamb doner kebab that was found to be a mixed-meat product primarily containing beef.

On Thursday 26 February 2026, EH Enterprise Limited, its director and manager appeared in court again and each entered guilty pleas.

Each defendant was ordered to pay a £146 fine, a £58 victim surcharge and £500 in costs, totalling £704 each.

The company was ordered to pay a £1,000 fine and a £400 victim surcharge, with no costs awarded, totalling £1,400.

Councillor Duncan Crow said:

“Serving food without declaring the correct allergens present can have dire consequences and it needs to be taken seriously by food business owners and their staff.

“I’m pleased that in this case our Trading Standards officers were able to identify the offence before any residents came to harm.”

Under the Food Information Regulations 2014, businesses must provide accurate allergen information to customers who request it.

Failure to do so can lead to prosecution, closure of a business or a poor food hygiene rating.

Consumers who wish to report a business to Trading Standards can do so via the West Sussex County Council website.