Meat-cutting premises and cold stores used for meat across the UK are to be reviewed in the wake of serious issues at cutting plants operated by two companies.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) have said the industry-wide review will begin later this month in the wake of what they called “serious non-compliance issues” identified at cutting plants operated by 2 Sisters Food Group and Russell Hume.

“In the last six months the FSA and FSS have faced two serious incidents involving major players in the meat sector,” said Heather Hancock, FSA chair, and Ross Finnie, FSS chair said in a joint statement.

“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.”

Russell Hume

The FSA and FSS investigation into Russell Hume is being ramped up, with the extended use of use-by dates and the food safety management system in particular focus.

“Our investigation into the major non-compliances we found at the Russell Hume plants in England and Scotland is intensifying,” said FSA chief executive Jason Feeney.

“We have already stopped these plants producing meat products, have ensured the withdrawal and disposal of the products and now we are looking at the root cause of the incident and any culpability,” he added.

Serious and widespread problems

“The investigation is looking into all aspects of the business to establish more details about the serious and widespread problems that we identified. This will then determine whether additional enforcement action should be taken.”

He reiterated that there was no indication that people had become ill from eating meat supplied by Russell Hume.

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