2 Sisters suspends production at UK poultry plant

2 Sisters Food Group has suspended operations at its poultry plant in West Bromwich, U.K., following reports of food safety breaches at the facility.

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Barry518, Bigstock
Barry518, Bigstock

2 Sisters Food Group has suspended operations at its poultry plant in West Bromwich, U.K., following reports of food safety breaches at the facility.

The action came after reports from The Guardian and ITV alleged the company had:

  • Committed hygiene failures, including picking chicken meat off of the floor and placing it back on a conveyor
  • Manipulated slaughter date labels to make the meat seem fresher than it really was
  • Repackaged meat that had been returned from other stores with incorrect dates printed on labels
  • Mixed older poultry meat with newer poultry meat

2 Sisters Food Group responds

In a statement on the 2 Sisters Food Group website, the company said: “We are shocked and distressed by the allegations and the footage which we saw for the first time on Thursday, September 28th. Since the allegations were put to us by the Gaurdian/ITV, we have been working around the clock to get to the truth of the matter.”

2 Sisters Food Group, which according to the WATTAgNet Top Poultry Companies Database supplies about a third of all poultry products consumed in the U.K., stated that it responded immediately by launching its own internal investigation at the West Bromwich plant and invited the U.K. Food Standards Agency (FSA) to independently review its standards.

While the company stated that the FSA had not identified any breaches, it did say its internal investigation had shown some “isolated instances of non-compliance with our own quality management systems.”

Because of that non-compliance, 2 Sisters Food Group temporarily suspended operations at the facility, and will retrain workers and management staff on all food safety and quality management systems. Workers will be compensated while going through the retraining procedures.

The company stated that it will resume production at the plant when it feels all colleagues have received adequate training.

Statement from Food Standards Agency

FSA also stated that no breaches were found at the poultry plant, which it routinely audits, but it is continuing with its surveillance.

“However, we continue to review the evidence and if any incidences of non-compliance are found we will take prompt and proportionate action with the business concerned, working closely with the local authority.

The agency also urged ITV and the Guardian to share any additional evidence, including witness statements that would inform the investigation.

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