Morrisons Fined £750K After Inspectors Found 51 Hygiene Failures at Welsh Bakery

BBC Business reported Thursday that Morrisons supermarket has been ordered to pay roughly £750,000 in penalties after inspectors uncovered widespread Morrisons bakery hygiene failures at its Cwmbran branch in Wales.

Court Rules Failures Were Systemic, Not Isolated

Newport Magistrates’ Court handed the supermarket chain a fine of £737,000, reduced from an original £1.1 million figure following an early guilty plea. Morrisons also faces court costs exceeding £11,000 and a £2,000 victim surcharge, bringing its total bill close to £750,250.

Presiding judge Sophie Toms was direct in her assessment. She told the court this was not a matter of a handful of poorly behaved staff. Instead, she characterised the violations as serious and systemic, adding that the company had put customer health at genuine risk.

What Inspectors Actually Found

Environmental health officers from Torfaen Council carried out a routine inspection at the Cwmbran store in August 2024. What they discovered was extensive. Officers logged 51 separate failures within the store’s food safety management framework. Problems included inadequate cleanliness standards, poorly maintained equipment and insufficient staff supervision over food handling procedures.

Critically, the inspection also revealed that Morrisons management had been aware of the deficiencies for more than a month before officers arrived. The bakery section was closed immediately upon the inspection’s conclusion to allow for a thorough deep clean.

A Pattern Under Scrutiny

The Cwmbran case arrives during a period of broader reputational pressure for Morrisons. The chain, which operates as a family-owned business, has separately faced public criticism in recent weeks over an unrelated controversy involving a store manager dismissed for challenging a shoplifter. That story drew calls for a customer boycott on social media, piling further pressure on the brand.

Following Thursday’s ruling, Torfaen Council’s public protection lead Daniel Morelli made clear the authority would pursue formal enforcement action wherever consumer welfare was endangered.

Morrisons issued a statement describing the bakery’s condition in August 2024 as deeply disappointing and acknowledged it fell short of acceptable standards. The company characterised it as a single localised issue resolved swiftly in cooperation with the council, and said improvements have since been sustained.

Food hygiene enforcement remains an active area for local councils across the UK, with businesses subject to unannounced inspections under the Food Safety Act 1990.

Read Next: Fed Holds Rates Steady as Powell Warns Tariff Risks Cloud Outlook