Health inspectors have been accused of meddling in an independent audit of a Victorian caterer. 

Suburban caterer I Cook Foods was controversially closed in 2019 after being linked by health authorities to an elderly woman dying of listeria. 

The company's owner Ian Cook has accused council inspectors of planting a slug in a kitchen

I Cook Foods has launched a multi-million dollar civil action against the state government and Greater Dandenong Council. 

Documents submitted in the legal battle reveal that officials discussed a review with the auditor hired by I Cook Foods, specifically mentioning a plan to “protect” him.

The council says it did not plant slug in the kitchen, and rejected all allegations that it acted inappropriately.

The council is a stakeholder in a rival catering firm, and this relationship is part of the legal case.

More details are accessible here.