Marks & Spencer suspends buying chicken from plant that tampered with use-by dates
Undercover investigation found plant altering slaughter dates to extend shelf-life
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Your support makes all the difference.Marks & Spencer has suspended buying chicken from a supplier that altered the use-by dates to artificially increase their shelf-life.
Staff at a plant run by 2 Sisters Food Group, which supplies poultry to thousands of UK supermarkets, were discovered changing the date chickens were killed so supermarket packaging showed the wrong use-by dates.
An investigation by the Guardian and ITV news filmed workers tampering with slaughter dates at the plant.
Following the news, Marks & Spencer says it has stopped buying chicken from the group’s West Bromwich plant.
“We have commenced an immediate investigation into these allegations and will not be taking any more product from the West Bromwich site until it has concluded to our satisfaction,” a spokesperson for the supermarket told the Guardian.
“As per our statement yesterday, the standards shown in the footage are unacceptable, we take hygiene and traceability very seriously and have extremely high production standards.”
The Food Standards Agency announced it would investigate the allegations but said its inspectors found “no evidence” of breaches in a statement.
“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 FSA said.
Heather Hancock, chairman of the FSA said: “We take any allegations of inaccurate labelling and breaches in hygiene regulations very seriously.
“Should we find any evidence of any risk to public health, any products on the market which we believe to be a cause of concern will be urgently removed from sale.”
The 2 Sisters Food Group produces a third of all poultry products consumed in the UK.
It supplies to thousands of supermarkets, including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Aldi and Lidl.
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