The Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland have revealed more details about their upcoming review of meat processing sites.
The review follows serious failings at two major meat companies that supply restaurants.
In January Russell Hume, which supplied the Jamie Oliver Group and JD Wetherspoon, had its production shut down after the FSA raised concerns over ‘major non-compliances’ with food hygiene regulations following a surprise inspection of its Birmingham site on 12 January.
The business has since collapsed into administration.
Late last year, 2 Sisters Food Group had to suspend production at its West Bromwich plant for several weeks following a Guardian and ITV undercover investigation that raised questions over the firm’s food standards.
The wide-ranging review will cover sites where meat products are processed and stored with the initial ndings expected to be released in June.
The two agencies say the project will involve a comprehensive review of hygiene controls and unannounced inspections and audit regimes.
The review will also see the FSA and FSS work with industry to implement CCTV across cutting plants; increase intelligence gathering through audit data sharing pilots across industry; and improve insight into circumstances and factors leading to non-compliance.
“We are concerned about recent instances of companies breaching hygiene rules,” says FSA chief executive Jason Feeney.
“People rightly expect food businesses to keep to the rules, rules designed to keep consumers safe and to sustain public trust in food - and food businesses have a duty to follow the regulations.
“We are pleased that the meat industry representatives who we met with have pledged their full and eective engagement with the review.”
