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Organic needs defending, join the campaign

Save Our Food | 19.12.2006 12:08 | Animal Liberation | Culture | Health | London | Oxford

One of London's most fashionable restaurants, used by film stars and members of the Royal family, has become the first in the country to be fined for falsely claiming that meat used in a number of its dishes was organically farmed.

Julie's Restaurant and Bar was fined £7,500 after its managing director, Johnny Ekperigin, admitted three offences under the Food Safety Act 1990. West London magistrates court was told that Julie's claimed three of the dishes on its menu – marinated roast chicken, sausages and spice-crusted rack of lamb – used organic produce. But environmental health officers on a routine visit seized delivery records and discovered that none mentioned that the meat came from organic sources.

Environmental health officers from Kensington and Chelsea council estimated that Julie's saved £4,184 by buying chicken that had not been produced organically.

Prince Charles, nowadays a vigorous champion of organic food, is a regular diner there and Captain Mark Phillips held his stag night at Julie's. Other patrons include Gwyneth Paltrow, Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell.

The posh snobs dinner boasts a warren of private dining rooms with French colonial furniture and sumptuous divans. It is popular for both stag nights and first dates among with London's elite and, according to one food critic two years ago, "the whole place reeks of sex". Prince Michael of Kent is said to have taken the one-time Royal Ballet principal dancer Bryony Brind, with whom he developed a close friendship, to their first dinner there.

The owner, Mr Ekperigin, walked free with a small fine - just £4,297 costs. He denied that he had used non-organic meat in an attempt to save money. "It was purely a mistake and I had taken my eye off the ball." he claimed.

Fiona Buxton. a Kensington and Chelsea cabinet member for public and environmental health, said: "For many visitors to the restaurant this has led to a betrayal of lifestyle. Consumers buy into the idea of organic food either due to the health implications or in support of good animal husbandry. Julie's Restaurant has cheated them of these values."

The Soil Association, one biggest certifer of organic produce, said it thought the prosecution was the first of its kind. But Steve Belton, its inspectorate director, said he believed that there was "a growing problem" of restaurants taking advantage of the public's interest in organic food and he called on local authorities to carry out more inspections.

We should all press the authorities to do more to ensure that organic remain organic.

Save Our Food

Comments

Hide the following 10 comments

Organic Enslavement

19.12.2006 13:44

Fuck "organic" and "good animal husbandry":individual animals are NOT ROOTED plants.

Tim


Organic

19.12.2006 15:26

Bruce and Myself are Organic, many thanks for all you concerns over the past months, i have being quite ill, Bruce has been a rock during this time, to those of you who celebrate Christmas then have a merry one, Bruce and I will be out feeding the needy and visiting Horses in the fields near where we live over the festive period. If anyone has any queries about either Bruce ir Myself we can be contacted via NARN.

Steve and Bruce Maclean


Organic Animal Liberation?

19.12.2006 21:09

Organic meat and dairy does not need defending and it certainly doesn't need saving.

Organicshmorganic


Organicshmorganic

20.12.2006 17:12

How rude ! Who is this ! !

Steve and Bruce Maclean


Fuck Organix Meat 'n' Dairy

21.12.2006 13:31

Never heard so much bollocks in my life. Let's all go eat organic meat and dairy - who cares about the animals that have been slung up and slaughtered for it. After all, organic meat is acceptable because there's no tut tut tut...chemicals.

Gimme a break

Emo Kid


Daily Telecrap articles on Indymedia

21.12.2006 15:59

This is a copy and paste from the DT:
 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/12/19/norganic19.xml

And it's got nothing to do with Oxford either.

Fuck the corporate media


Horror.

22.12.2006 09:39

I am a simple and menial man, un-educated as a child and not blessed with great looks either. How dare these people make false statements like this, I stopped eating meat and took to Animal Liberation when i was forty years old, i shall be speaking to Prince Charles personally about this establishment. This has spolit my Christmas. I am in floods of tears here...............Good bye .

Steve and Bruce Maclean


Haha!

23.12.2006 03:25

His business deserves to go down the drain. And Steve / Bruce (which one are you?) don't cry - he serves meat after all.

Who cares about organic meat? It's just a product designed to make meat-eaters feel better about the animals murdered for their meal.

(EA) - Emo Anarchism!

Emo Kid


I Buy Organic

25.12.2006 00:04

I support organic...Emo Kid...because it is good for the environment....

Organic is not...however...tested on animals so I would have to disagree with that...So put your immaturity to one side

Regards...
Steve and Bruce McLean xxx

Steve and Bruce McLean


Sorry

25.12.2006 10:55

My Son has an Imaginary friend whom he calls Bruce, it's all very sad. Count your blessings and enjoy Christmas, as i type this Steve who is 43 years old is in a field pretending to be a horse .

Vera Mclean


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