Four men who conspired to divert meat unfit for human consumption back into the food chain have been sentenced following a major investigation into food crime.
The convictions are the result of a lengthy inquiry led by Southwark Council and the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) National Food Crime Unit (NFCU). Sentencing took place at Inner London Crown Court.
The ringleader, Anthony Fear, sole director of Fears Animal Products Ltd, was jailed for 42 months for conspiracy to defraud by placing unsafe food on the market. He was also banned from serving as a company director for six years.
Mark Hooper, a manager at the company, received a 24-month prison term suspended for two years after admitting conspiracy to defraud. He was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.
Azar Irshad was sentenced to 35 months in prison for conspiracy to defraud, operating from unapproved premises, and selling unsafe food including 'smokies', out-of-date beef burgers and illegally diverted category 3 animal by-products.
He was also issued with an indefinite criminal behaviour order prohibiting any future involvement in the food industry.
Ali Afzal was given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for 21 months, alongside 150 hours of unpaid work and a £5,000 fine for failing to comply with Regulation 19 by running an unapproved premises.
Fears Animal Products Ltd will be sentenced in 2026 after confiscation proceedings conclude. Costs for Fear, Hooper and Irshad will also be determined at that stage.
Hooper additionally pleaded guilty to a separate conspiracy in Aylesbury, for which he was handed a concurrent 24-month sentence.
The investigation began when Southwark officers discovered 1.9 tonnes of Category 3 animal by-products – including chickens, lamb’s testicles and beef burgers – being processed for human consumption at an unlicensed meat cutting plant in London.
The premises were not registered as a food business, lacked running hot water and operated in filthy conditions. NFCU enquiries traced the meat back to legitimate businesses that had consigned it to Fears Animal Byproducts in Somerset for disposal or use in pet food.
Once designated as animal by-products, meat is permanently barred from re-entering the human food chain. However, investigators uncovered evidence through communications data and other material that revealed how the defendants conspired to divert the products back for sale.
Hooper, Irshad and Afzal pleaded guilty in January 2025. Fear denied the charges but was convicted after a trial in March 2025, alongside his company.
Andrew Quinn, Head of NFCU, said: “The sentences handed down today show that 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 by putting meat unfit for human consumption back into the food chain."
