Update on incident involving a meat coldstore in Northern Ireland (Update 4)
Friday 9 December 2005
Food Alert: for Action
Ref: 68/2005 (Update 4) (67/2005 Scotland - For Info)
Heads of Environmental Health and Directors of Trading Standards will be aware of the Food Alert for Action 68/2005 issued on 18 November 2005, and subsequent updates 1, 2, and 3 outlining preliminary action required to be taken in relation to the above incident.
Further information has come to light with respect to chicken products labelled with health mark 9502, which indicates that although the health mark is genuine they may have an illicit label. The Agency has requested information on the genuine label applied to boxes in order that local authorities may make an informed comparison between the original and suspected illicit label. The Agency will provide further details to local authorities as soon as possible.
Actions to be taken by local authorities
If local authorities become aware of products bearing the 9502 health mark and supplied by Euro Freeze (Ireland) Ltd they should detain for the purpose of checking authenticity of the suspected illicit labels. If the authorised officer is not satisfied that these labels are authentic, the chicken should be seized for destruction under section 9 of the Food Safety Act 1990 on the basis that it does not comply with food safety requirements.
Please obtain full written descriptions of the product(s), photographs and any distribution details. In addition, the Food Standards Agency should be notified immediately, as this information is needed as part of the ongoing investigation.
If, as part of this investigation, further suspect illicit labels or further distribution details are discovered, these will be forwarded on to local authorities as soon as possible to assist them in their investigations.
It is essential that all non-unitary authorities liaise at county level to ensure that they take necessary action.