Has the reputation of poultry and egg producers been broken?

The poultry industry has faced a mixed few months. There have been scandals and accusations of illegal processes. For example, the Guardian’s breaking news story of food safety standards being broken by 2 Sisters, the UK’s largest poultry plant. Then there was the contaminated eggs from Holland scandal which saw 21,000 affected eggs enter the UK market. However. there is the good news story that eggs produced under the British Lion Code of Practice are now salmonella free and can be eaten raw or runny without danger to public health.

Alleged Breaches of Food Safety at 2 Sisters

To summarise the alleged issues raised at 2 Sisters:

• Food dropped on the floor was returned to the production line
• The commercial life of the meat was extended by changing the kill dates
• Mixing older meat with fresher meat and quoting the sell by date of the newer meat

The case is still in news. Investigations continue this week with the owner of 2 Sisters, Ranjit Singh Boparan, facing questions from MPs.

Some good news for British Egg Producers

It’s not all been bad news though. The Food Standards Agency has issued new advice about eating eggs – infants, children, pregnant women and elderly people can now safely eat raw or slightly runny eggs produced under the British Lion Code of Practice.

Following hard work and changes to production processes by UK egg producers the FSA changed its advice. The FSA concluded that the risk of salmonella in eggs is now very low.

What can businesses do to protect their reputations?

It does seem that there are more bad news stories than good. So how can businesses protect their reputation and brand value?

When it comes to animal by products (ABP) there are clearly defined regulations on how ABP should be classified and treated. Food production companies that implement effective production and control processes with the safe disposal of unsuitable and out of date products will safeguard their reputation.