Four Men Jailed For Illegal Meat Food Fraud In London
Four men have been sentenced for their roles in diverting meat not fit for human consumption back into the human food chain, following a major investigation by Southwark Council and the Food Standards Agency’s National Food Crime Unit (NFCU).
At Inner London Crown Court, Judge [Name if known] handed down custodial sentences to the defendants for their part in the conspiracy. The case exposed a large-scale food crime operation involving unapproved premises and unsafe products being sold to the public.
Sentences handed down
Anthony Fear, sole director of Fears Animal Products Ltd, was sentenced to 42 months in prison for conspiracy to defraud and banned from acting as a company director for six years.
Mark Hooper, a manager at the company, received a 24-month suspended sentence and must complete 200 hours of unpaid work. He also admitted conspiracy charges in a separate case in Aylesbury, receiving a concurrent sentence.
Azar Irshad was jailed for 35 months for conspiracy to defraud and multiple breaches of food safety regulations. He was also handed an indefinite criminal behaviour order banning him from working in the food industry.
Ali Afzal was sentenced to six months, suspended for 21 months, ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work, and pay £5,000 in costs for breaching hygiene regulations.
The company, Fears Animal Products Ltd, will face sentencing in 2026 after confiscation proceedings are completed. Costs for Fear, Hooper, and Irshad will also be decided at that stage.
Illegal meat plant uncovered
The case began when Southwark Council officers discovered 1.9 tonnes of Category 3 animal by-products — including whole and cut chickens, lamb’s testicles and beef burgers — being prepared for human consumption at an unregistered meat cutting plant in London.
The facility had no running hot water and operated in unhygienic conditions. NFCU enquiries later traced the meat back to legitimate businesses who confirmed the products had originally been sent for pet food manufacturing or safe disposal, not human consumption.
Once classified as an animal by-product, meat is permanently excluded from the human food chain. However, evidence pieced together from communications data revealed the defendants’ conspiracy to illegally reintroduce it into circulation.
Authorities respond
Councillor Natasha Ennin, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Neighbourhoods, praised the investigation:
“This sentencing marks the end of a long and determined investigation to hold food criminals to account. These individuals operated with complete disregard for public health, motivated solely by greed.”
Andrew Quinn, Head of the NFCU, added:
“The sentences handed down today show there is no place for such criminal activity in our food system. The case demonstrates the serious risk posed to consumer safety when individuals deliberately disregard food safety regulations.”
Authorities emphasized that the case highlighted the importance of collaboration between local councils and the NFCU to protect consumers from food crime.
Article Credit: Florence Igbokwe
Email: Florence.igbokwe2@southwark.gov.uk
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