(Toronto, Canada) – A Toronto company operating as Taotie Dry Aging has been fined $4,500 after pleading guilty to running a meat plant without a licence, according to an Ontario court bulletin released October 30.

The corporation, 1000498884 Ontario Inc., was convicted October 13. A $1,125 victim fine surcharge brought the total penalty to $5,625.

The offence occurred January 22 at Unit 6, 3680 Victoria Park Avenue in Toronto. The provincial agriculture ministry said it learned that the business was producing and selling a ready-to-eat dehydrated meat product marketed as dry-aged meat chips.

A ministry compliance officer inspected the premises and found 13.37 kilograms of dehydrated meat products in 308 packages, the bulletin said.

The company voluntarily removed the product listing from its website and disposed of the product on the inspection date, according to the ministry.

The bulletin says dehydrating meat for sale or distribution is a regulated activity requiring a meat-plant licence unless an exemption applies. The case was referred for investigation, and the corporation later pleaded guilty under the Food Safety and Quality Act.

The notice reports a licensing conviction. It does not report an illness, an outbreak or a finding that the product was contaminated.

Source: Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness court bulletin, October 30.

Editorial illustration of food-processing equipment and compliance paperwork; not a photograph of the business or its products.