Yesterday at Merthyr Crown Court, Helim Miah was sent to prison for 4 years and 8 months for fraudulent trading and breaching insolvency law, while Noaf Rahman was given a two-year sentence, suspended for two years and ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.

The sentencing followed an investigation by Cardiff and the Vale Shared Regulatory Services into Universal Foods (Wholesale) Ltd, based at Bessemer Close, Cardiff.

The pair sold halal-labelled chicken to Indian takeaways and restaurants across South Wales. However, investigations revealed that their suppliers often did not provide halal meat.

Despite this, they continued to falsely market and distribute the chicken as halal to unsuspecting customers.

Following the investigation, Noaf Rahman pleaded guilty to three food hygiene offences while Helim Miah, who pleaded not guilty, was later prosecuted at Merthyr Crown Court on April 11^th, 2025.

The case came to light in January 2019 when 2,840 kilograms of frozen meat was seized from 20 Bessemer Close in Grangetown, Cardiff.

The investigation uncovered a catalogue of failings, including very poor food hygiene practices, evidence that some poultry had been defrosted and refrozen, finding chicken that was two years past its sell-by date, discovering temperature records were not kept up to date, evidence of pest activity at the business, and transporting unmarked meat in unclean vehicles that were not refrigerated or fit for purpose.

During the two-week trial, Miah claimed he only ran Universal Food Wholesale Ltd using pre-processed halal chicken and that all on-site processing was handled by a separate company - Universal Poultry Ltd, run by Rahman.

Miah denied any involvement in the day-to-day processing of the business but was found guilty of 10 chargesincluding running a food business dishonestly—falsely selling non-Halal meat as Halal, mislabelling expiry dates, ignoring hygiene rules, and failing to track food origins—putting public health and trust at risk.

In sentencing, Judge Francis summed up the case stressing that the fraud had a clear societal impact, explaining that if their customers knew that the meat they were buying wasn’t halal they would have been horrified.

In terms of the food hygiene at this business, Judge Francis said: “The meat that was seized from you wasn’t safe, that is why it was taken from you and made into pet food. By failing to keep your customers safe, this was a disaster that was waiting to happen, and it is a miracle that it didn’t happen.”

Cllr Norma Mackie, Cabinet Member responsible for Shared Regulatory Services at Cardiff Council, said: “This story will be deeply concerning to our Muslim community. Eating halal is a requirement in the Islamic religion, and to take part in such a fraud shows the complete disregard these men had for the community.

“The investigation revealed extremely poor food hygiene conditions that could have caused serious harm to their customers.

“This case raises important questions about how food suppliers are held accountable for the accuracy of their halal claims, the need for greater consumer awareness, and the importance of verifying the authenticity of halal certifications. If anyone has concerns about the traceability of the food products they are buying from a wholesaler, please contact Shared Regulatory Services on 0300 123 6696”