Convenience food company Greencore has announced that it will suspend operations at its sandwich manufacturing plant in Northampton in the UK due to a recent outbreak of COVID-19 among employees at the facility.

Greencore added that it anticipates the temporary closure of the Northampton facility will only have a modest impact on its profits for 2020. The group said it hopes to reopen the plant within 14 days.

Last week it emerged that close to 300 of the more than 2,000 workforce at Greencore’s Northampton sandwich manufacturing facility had tested positive for the virus.

Greencore is the largest sandwich manufacturer in the UK and Ireland and makes pre-packed sandwiches for retailers such as Tesco and Marks & Spencer.

Temporary closure

“In consultation with the Department of Health & Social Care, Public Health England and other government bodies, Greencore has taken the decision to temporarily cease production at its Northampton facility from the end of today [Friday] as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak in the Northampton area and at the site,” the company said in a statement.

“This decision will allow all remaining colleagues at the site to self-isolate as a precautionary measure, and has been taken as part of the region's ongoing efforts to reduce the spread of the virus and to keep colleagues safe.

"The group has moved a proportion of the production from Northampton to other sites within the Greencore network, and is working with the affected customer to help mitigate any production shortfall,” it added.