A FACTORY that put uncooked sausages into pre-packed sandwiches has ceased trading.

Middlesbrough-based Café Class Ltd was served with a prohibition order earlier this month after being caught putting out-of-date fillings in wraps and sandwiches.

The firm was taken to court for health and hygiene breaches after failing an environmental health inspection.

On Tuesday, company director Shahid Nawaz contacted the Local Democracy Reporting Service and confirmed Café Class had wound down on September 13.

That was the same day the Food Standards Agency (FSA)  issued a product recall on all the company’s ready-to-eat food including sandwiches, wraps and salads.

A notice about the news has also been posted on the Café Class website which reads: “It is not viable for us to continue.

“We are currently working on the issue and will provide an update with any further developments.

“We would like to thank everyone for their support over the last 10 years.”

On September 18, Teesside Magistrates’ Court heard food safety practices at Café Class posed an “immediate danger to human health”.

The firm, which had supplied stores such as Londis, Nisa and North East Convenience Stores, was ordered to stop production.

Andrew Perriman, prosecuting for Middlesbrough Council, said inspectors found the factory had been putting ingredients which had reached their use-by date into sandwiches, wraps and salads labelled with a later use-by date.

In some cases a three-day shelf-life was exceeded by a further six days, he told the court.

“More troubling is that Lincolnshire frozen sausages, which the manufacturer says should be cooked before use, were being placed in ready made sandwiches,” Mr Perriman said.

“They were never cooked before being placed in sandwiches.

“This demonstrates ideal circumstances for the risks associated with listeria to be increased.”

Mr Perriman said listeria had “recently been identified with a number of recent hospital deaths linked to the production of sandwiches”.

He added: “At that time the risks were highlighted, the respondent said it was ‘common practice in the industry’ because ‘shelf lives are too short’.”

When asked about practices at the factory on Riverside Park Industrial Estate, company director Shahid Nawaz had said it was “a debatable thing”, the court heard.

Offered an opportunity to speak in court, both company directors Shahid Nawaz and Mohammed Haris Abdullah said they did not wish to say anything.