The West Midlands poultry plant caught up in a media storm following the release of undercover footage showing food safety breaches has made progress in the way it operates.
Parliament's Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EFRA) visited 2 Sisters’ ‘Site D’ poultry facility in West Bromwich this week, accompanied by representatives from Red Tractor and the Food Standards Authority (FSA).
It follows from the Committee’s inquiry into 2 Sisters and Standards in Poultry Processing, which was launched following the release of undercover footage by ITV and The Guardian.
2 Sisters, one of the UK's largest supermarket chicken suppliers, suspended production last year at the West Bromwich plant after the investigation exposed food safety breaches.
Over 12 working days of undercover filming, reporters recorded evidence that the firm, owned by the so-called 'Chicken King' Ranjit Sign Boparan, was putting customers at risk by tampering with food safety records.
Following this, the EFRA Committee held evidence sessions that looked at the issues raised at the 2 Sisters plant and the role and performance of the Food Standards Agency, Sandwell Metropolitan Council and accreditation bodies.
The subsequent EFRA report urged the FSA to work with the meat industry to implement CCTV across cutting plants, increased intelligence gathering and improved insight into factors leading to non-compliances, and the ability to anticipate them.
'Poor standards are exposed'
This week's visit provided the Committee with an opportunity to assess the progress that has been made against the commitments given by Ranjit Singh Boparan.
These commitments included placing a full time FSA inspector in the West Bromwich poultry plant as well all other poultry plants, installing CCTV with complete coverage in all poultry plants, and implanting mystery workers into all poultry factories.
On 10th November 2017 Ranjit Singh Boparan wrote to the Committee, confirming these commitments.
Neil Parish MP, Chair of EFRA said it is "essential" that large UK food producers maintain the highest standards of production at processing plants.
“We have seen time and again that when poor standards are exposed and production is halted, as happened recently at 2 Sisters, it is small businesses, suppliers and farmers who suffer,” Mr Parish said.
“We visited the 2 Sisters plant to assess the progress that has been made against the commitments made by Mr Boparan to the Committee.
“We are satisfied that the actions he committed to – including installing CCTV cameras throughout the facility and installing a permanent FSA inspector – have been enacted.
Mr Parish added: “We will continue to monitor the situation and consider any further breaches in food standards that are brought to our attention.”
