UK steakhouse fined $86,000 for using unhygienic wooden serving boards

Serving meals on wooden boards instead of plates has been one of the most ubiquitous food trends in recent memory.

However, the technique has backfired for one UK restaurant, resulting in a whopping $86,000 fine.

As detailed in tweets from Birmingham City Council, Ibrahims Grill and Steakhouse was fined after health inspectors found staff serving meals on wooden planks that weren’t sufficiently sanitised.

Officers from Birmingham City Council’s Environmental Health group first visited the venue in October 2016 after a group of 14 diners alleged they had been struck by food poisoning.



Various issues of concern were identified, including employees' reliance on disposable gloves rather than washing hands, and poor cleaning of the premises.

The wooden serving plates were also deemed "incapable of being cleaned".

The steakhouse was served with improvement notices, and officers visited again two months later.

While some of the hygiene issues had been addressed, inspectors found the wooden plates were still being used by the restaurant.

"Wooden plates could pose a risk of food poisoning to anyone eating from them," the city council tweeted.

The case was brought to the council, and on 4 January the company entered a guilty plea to Birmingham Magistrate's Court.

Ibrahims Grill and Steakhouse was fined roughly $AU86,000, and ordered to pay costs of $1157 and a $207 victim surcharge.

"It is completely unacceptable for businesses to put the health of people eating at their restaurants at risk," said Mark Croxford, the Head of Environmental Health at Birmingham City Council.

The use of wooden boards as serving platters never fails to divide opinion, but the trend can pose health issues if not executed carefully.

According to the NSW Food Authority, food should not be served on boards bearing deep gouges and cuts, because bacteria and viruses trapped in the grooves can result in cross-contamination.