"I was fired after I complained about people changing labels"
A former chef at Soho House in Shoreditch claimed he was forced to sell out-of-date food to customers by changing the labels.
Kamran Khan said he was fired from the trendy London private members’ club after raising concerns about the alleged practice.
Soho House has launched an internal investigation into the claims, while Hackney Council is also investigating.
Mr Khan reportedly worked as a chef de partie in Shoreditch House’s Pen Yen kitchen.
He accused staff of pressuring him to change labels on food that had passed its use-by date.
In a TikTok video, Mr Khan said:
“Two days ago I was fired from Soho House, the one in Shoreditch. I was fired after I complained about people changing labels and selling out-of-date food to customers.”
Mr Khan initially raised his concerns informally with senior staff at the Shoreditch venue. He claimed management later upheld his complaint and promised that action would be taken.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: “I raised it informally at first almost with every single person that was senior to me.
“Even after the complaint was upheld, it carried on happening; it was happening every single day.”
Mr Khan, who reportedly worked at the venue for four months before leaving earlier this month, said he reported the alleged practice to Hackney Council on September 17.
Hackney Council’s food safety and environmental health team has confirmed that it is investigating the allegations.
In his written complaint to the council, Mr Khan reportedly said:
“Prepared food is being labelled with ‘use by’ dates and when it is not sold by that date, staff are instructed to remove the old label and apply a new one.
“This practice is ongoing and I have been personally pressured to carry it out.”
He alleged that little changed after he raised the concerns internally:
“I received only vague assurances that ‘appropriate action’ was being taken, while the practices have continued.
“I have recorded the relabelling of out-of-date food covertly as evidence and it occurs constantly. I believe this poses a real risk to public health.”
Kam Adams, a Labour councillor for Hoxton East and Shoreditch, said the allegations had been referred to Hackney Council:
“I can confirm that I was made aware of the allegations regarding food safety and hygiene practices at Soho House Shoreditch.
“I treated these concerns with urgency and escalated the matter directly to Hackney Council’s food safety and environmental health teams for investigation.
“As this is being handled by the council’s enforcement teams, I cannot comment further on ongoing operational details.”
A council spokesperson said: “We have received a report about food safety and hygiene at Shoreditch House and have opened an investigation.”
Soho House, which operates private members’ clubs and venues around the world, was founded in London in 1995 by Nick Jones.
The company opened its first country house in Somerset three years later before expanding internationally with a New York venue in 2003.
A spokesman for Soho House said it was “looking into the matter internally”.
