The Food Standards Agency has taken action to stop any product from leaving Russell Hume sites because of concerns surrounding use-by-dates.
The meat wholesaler, which supplies the likes of Wetherspoon and Jamie's Italian, is being investigated over food hygiene concerns.
These concerns were uncovered as the result of an unannounced audit at one site in Birmingham.
This then led to a wider investigation in the following days across all their plants and also into products held in cold stores.
Based on the evidence gathered, the FSA became concerned that there was a more "systemic and widespread" problem which was more serious in terms of its scale and nature.
It was only at this stage issues of serious non-compliance were uncovered. These related to a number of issues including concerns about procedures and processes around use by dates.
There is no indication that people have become ill from eating meat supplied by Russell Hume.
As a result of these further investigations, Russell Hume have been required to stop all production at the plants and detain all products.
Until the business can provide assurances that they are complying with the relevant legislation and that they are producing safe food, no meat can leave their sites.
'Proportionate approach'
Jason Feeney, Chief Executive Officer of the Food Standards Agency the agency doesn't take decisions to stop production, instigate product recalls or withdrawals "lightly".
"Our job is to ensure that food produced by a business is safe and clearly we must take a proportionate approach," Mr Feeney said.
"We do recognise the potential impact of our decisions on business and peoples’ livelihoods. In the Russell Hume case our own unannounced inspection at one site gave us some cause for concern about non-compliance with food hygiene regulations, it was not triggered by any reports of ill-health.
"We then looked right across this UK-wide business and concluded that the non-compliance was serious and widespread enough to advise stopping all production at Russell Hume plants and initiate a withdrawal of products.
"We worked with the company to get this done as quickly and effectively as possible and our actions have been proportionate based on the evidence we have obtained."
The news follows a joint Guardian and ITN investigation revealing undercover footage filming workers picking up chicken meat from the floor and repackaging it at a 2 Sisters Group plant.
