We expect, in these days of rigorous hygiene regulations, that the food we buy will be subjected to the best possible procedures and kept in the cleanest environment before it reaches our plates or our refrigerators.

People who make it their business to supply food, whether in the form of a takeaway cooked meal or the raw ingredients such as cuts of meat, are held in a position of trust by we, the consumers.

But, as we have increasingly seen, it is not always the case that the trust we place in our food providers is repaid. There are two instances in today’s Telegraph & Argus of businesses being prosecuted for not adhering to stringent regulations before passing on food to paying customers.

This is not just a case of people being squeamish about where their food comes from – though we all have a right to expect that any food we buy has been handled in the most professional and hygienic way possible.

Those who flout the rules and have scant regard for proper processes and systems are doing nothing less than gambling with the health – and, possibly, even the lives – of those who purchase food from them.

In the case of meat dishes, or raw meat products especially, the risk of contamination from bacteria which can cause very serious health problems in humans is very high. It is quite right that those who play fast and loose with our health should be subjected to the harshest possible punishments open to the courts.

It is time that those purveyors of meat and food who refuse to adhere to the proper controls realise that they cannot be allowed to be so cavalier with the public’s health and safety.