A VIETNAMESE restaurant in London was forced to shut down after dog meat was found in the freezer, a court heard.
Health inspectors went to Pho Na restaurant in Old Kent Road, Southwark, and found a meat labelled as “goat wrapped in leaves”.
Matthew DreschVuong Quoc Nguyen allegedly stashed dog meat in the freezer of his restaurant[/caption]
They sent it away for analysis but tests revealed it was dog meat, Bromley Magistrates’ Court was told.
The health inspectors also reported mice droppings and live and dead cockroaches at the restaurant, it was said.
Owner Vuong Quoc Nguyen has pleaded not guilty to multiple food safety and hygiene offences.
His defence solicitor Piers Kiss-Wilson said the 47-year-old had no idea the so-called goat was actually dog meat.
He also insisted the product was supplied to him by someone else and was not for human consumption.
Mr Kiss-Wilson added the owner had brought in pest control to try and fix the issues at the restaurant.
Nguyen is now set to stand trial at Bromley Magistrates’ Court on December 18.
Pho Na is now listed on Google as “permanently closed”.
It had a 4.6-star rating before the alleged dog meat was discovered in the freezer.
According to organisation Humane World, around five million dogs are stolen, trafficked and killed for their meat in Vietnam.
Dog meat is consumed in a number of other countries – including China and Indonesia.
Matthew DreschThe restaurant in Southwark has since been shut down[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
