Rats Found at Two Sites of Park Royal Food Supplier

Problems at Goodies Foods continued after multiple inspections

The inspectors found rat droppings at both addresses. Picture: Ealing Council

March 11, 2026

A Park Royal food supplier has been fined more than £160,000 after repeated inspections uncovered widespread rat infestations, contaminated food packaging and structural defects that allowed pests to enter its warehouses. Goodies Foods Mediterranean Ltd, which operates from two sites in Gorst Road and Bashley Road, appeared at Ealing Magistrates’ Court alongside its director, Taofik Rabah, on 16 February, where both the company and Rabah pleaded guilty to seven food safety offences.

The court heard that environmental health officers first visited the company’s Sabre House premises in August 2024 for a routine inspection and immediately found extensive evidence of rats. Droppings were discovered on pallets, food packaging and the floor, and officers witnessed a rat running across metal beams and over food products. Some packaging had been gnawed and partially eaten. The council issued a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice, forcing the business to close until the infestation was brought under control.

A follow‑up inspection in September 2024 found that the rodent problem had not been resolved, and the business was ordered to remain shut. It was only permitted to reopen in October after significant remedial work. However, when officers returned in March 2025, they again found rat droppings on jars, tins, pallets and boxes of condensed milk, indicating that the infestation had persisted.

At the company’s second warehouse in Bashley Road, officers carried out multiple inspections between June 2024 and March 2025. They repeatedly found rat faeces on food pallets and floors, as well as damaged walls, gaps and uncapped drains that made effective pest control impossible. Despite formal warnings and two Hygiene Improvement Notices issued in September 2024, the business failed to address the issues, and subsequent visits showed that the problems continued.

Goodies Foods Mediterranean Ltd is not part of the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme because it supplies other businesses rather than the public directly. Nonetheless, the court imposed substantial penalties. The company was fined £140,000, ordered to pay £9,000 in costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge. Its director received a £7,000 fine, was ordered to pay £2,469.70 in costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge, bringing the total financial penalty to more than £162,000.

Councillor Kamaljit Nagpal, cabinet member for decent living incomes, said the case demonstrated the seriousness of failing to maintain safe food storage conditions. She said food stored in facilities infested with rats was unfit for consumption and welcomed the court’s decision to impose significant fines. She added that the council’s food safety team works hard to protect residents and support businesses to meet required standards, and that robust enforcement action will be taken where companies fail to keep food safe.

The council has urged all food businesses to ensure they have effective pest‑control measures in place and to act promptly if problems arise, warning that repeated failures will lead to prosecution.