Businessman Kept Fish In Bath Next To His Toilet Before Selling It In Ready Meals To Supermarket

A chef who was found to have been storing fish in a bath next to his toilet before selling it in ready meals to local supermarkets and shops in Watford, Hertfordshire, has managed to avoid jail.

Stephen Akuoko, 62, operated under the name Tribal Foods for over three years, all the while keeping his fish in the bath and on the floor next to his toilet.

Authorities began investigating after his meals were discovered in local stores, but he avoided detection until a wok fire at his flat in October 2024 led to the discovery of huge quantities of mackerel stored in the bathtub and on the bathroom floor directly next to the toilet.

Investigators found the ready meals were “unfit for human consumption,” often lacked proper ingredient labels, and featured excessively long use-by dates.

Despite receiving formal remedial notices from Watford Borough Council’s environmental health team to stop selling, CCTV caught Akuoko continuing to make deliveries to local shops just weeks later. What a guy.

In the end, Akuoko pleaded guilty to two food safety offences and received a two-year suspended prison sentence, along with a five-year ban from operating any food business.

During the trial, the judge described the storage methods as “disgusting” and noted that any resulting food poisoning could have led to manslaughter charges.

Pretty shocking that these supermarkets apparently don’t vet their suppliers, but even crazier is the fact that there were no reported cases of food poisoning. Maybe Akuoko’s ready meals weren’t that bad? Or at least, not any worse than the processed supermarket value ranges?

What I really want to know is – where the hell is this guy showering/taking his baths if the bathtub is filled with fish all day? Do you think he would wash himself with the fish in the tub and pretend he was in the sea? Bleurgh – I feel sick just thinking about it.

Onto the next business venture for Mr. Akuoko.

For the livestreamer who nearly set her whole house on fire when cooking in lingerie, click HERE.