UK Poultry Hygiene Investigations Launched Following Industry Expose

24 Jul 2014 --- A five-month investigation into the hygiene standards in the poultry industry has revealed that the potentially fatal campylobacter bug is present in two-thirds of chicken sold in the UK, according to reports.

The investigation, by newspaper The Guardian, has led UK retailers such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer to launch their own emergency inquiries into the alleged hygiene failings.

Two of the country’s largest poultry processors, 2 Sisters Food Group and Faccenda, were investigated by The Guardian. Factories owned by these two companies supply a range of retailers including Asda, Sainsbury’s, Aldi, M&S and Tesco. They also supply the chicken specialist food service retailers, KFC and Nando’s.  

A statement from 2 Sisters Food Group said there is no campylobacter contamination of problems at its sites, as confirmed by multiple external audits and “our own rigorous testing”. 

“We strongly deny and defend ourselves against these allegations. Our company’s heritage is steeped in the poultry sector,” the statement read. “We are extremely proud of this heritage and our excellent track record as a poultry processor, and we will remain so.  We are doing more than any other business in addressing the key issues our sector is facing and we are leading the way in establishing and enforcing industry best practice.

“We will be working to actively engage further with our stakeholders in the coming weeks in order to reassure them about our operations in the light of this inaccurate and misleading article.”

Faccenda also released a statement:

"Faccenda Foods fully stands by all of our responses to the Guardian's investigation," says MD Andy Dawkins. "At Faccenda Foods, we recognise the food safety challenges posed by campylobacter and the concerns of consumers in this area. Through our Campylobacter Action Plan, Faccenda Foods continues to invest significantly across the whole supply chain to address this top priority issue. Our investment in current projects to tackle campylobacter is in excess of £1m."

"Our action plan has been proactively shared and acknowledged with the Food Standards Agency and our customers, focussing on three key areas - farm biosecurity, interventions in our factory operations and improved food safety in the kitchen."

The Guardian investigation also revealed other poor practices throughout the production chain that could increase the risk of bacteria spreading, according to reports. Allegations from the investigation state that chickens which have fallen on the floor have then been put back onto the production line, while breakdowns of high risk material, such as guts and offal, have been found to be piling up for many hours. 

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has said it isn’t letting the industry off the hook. “We will publish the names when we have completed the survey next summer,” Steve Wearne, director of policy is alleged to have said. 

But The Guardian has published comments that criticize the FSA’s decision to wait. Erik Millstone, a food safety processor at Sussex University is reported to have said the FSA is natural cautious not to say anything that could provoke any food scares. “But the FSA was created to protect consumers, not to protect the food industry, or to give ministers quiet time,” he said. “This decision shows that its independence is entirely illusory.”

And the executive director of Which? Magazine, Richard Lloyd, is reported to have said that the Guardian’s investigation raises serious concerns. “It is disappointing that the DSA has gone back on its commitment to publish the full quarterly data on the levels of campylobacter in supermarket chickens, when it is clearly in the public interest to do so. The FSA must put consumers first and operate more transparently than this.”

The campylobacter bug, which is destroyed through the cooking process, is said to cause sickness in more than 250,000 people in the UK and it is believed to be responsible for 100 deaths each year.  It is believed that up to 80% of campylobacter infections are due to contaminated poultry. 

By Sonya Hook