2 Sisters chicken supplier hygiene problems 'not a one-off', says MP

The 2 Sisters poultry supplier is currently under investigation
PA Wire/PA Images
Martin Coulter17 November 2017

Hygiene problems at a major UK chicken supplier were "not a one-off", MPs have claimed.

The environment, food and rural affairs committee said a site owned by the 2 Sisters Food Group, based in the West Midlands, had a "far from pristine" record.

The committee's month-long inquiry raised concerns about how the supplier's production plant was being monitored.

The firm, which operates 12 sites across the UK, said it took safety "extremely seriously".

A number of major supermarkets, including Marks & Spencer, Aldi, Lidl and The Co-op, stopped taking chickens from the West Bromwich site after The Guardian and ITV News claimed workers were changing slaughter dates in order to extend the shelf life of meat.

Undercover reporters also claimed staff were repackaging chicken portions that had been returned by supermarkets before sending them out to other retailers.

Committee chairman Neil Parish said: "Food supply chains are sensitive and easy to disrupt when retailers and consumers lose confidence in food quality or safety.

"Large producers and retailers have a responsibility to protect, rather than undermine, the UK's food producers."

The Food Standards Agency has expanded its investigation to include 2 Sisters' poultry operations across England and Wales.

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