MPs summon food giant boss to respond to food safety allegations

The chief executive of 2 Sisters Food Group has been summoned to give evidence to a Parliamentary inquiry into allegations of food safety breaches at its West Bromwich site.

Ranjit Singh Boparan has been called to appear in front of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee on October 25.

Conservative MP Neil Parish, chair of the Commons Select Committee, said: “Public confidence in our domestic food standards is central to the success of the UK’s agri-food industry.

“The committee has been closely monitoring reports about malpractice at the 2 Sisters Food Group, and considers an inquiry into the allegations of food safety breaches at its processing plants to be a matter of urgency.

“We hope that looking into the causes of any breaches will allow 2 Sisters to rectify the situation and put in place safeguards that mean similar incidents do not happen again.”

The Committee has also sought evidence from Assured Food Standards, the British Poultry Council, and the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

“It’s vital that lessons learned in our inquiry inform the wider industry, contribute to higher food standards and restore the confidence in both food and farming across the UK,” he added.

The FSA has already widened its investigation into food safety issues at 2 Sisters to the group’s 11 other poultry plants in England and Wales.

An undercover report by the Guardian and ITV published claims about the activities at the site, including changing date labels on chicken products and mixing poultry of different ages.

Two weeks ago 2 Sisters suspended production at its West Bromwich factory, known as Site D, where the footage was taken and began a re-training programme for its staff. The cost of closure is reportedly £500,000 a week.

2 Sisters’s UK poultry division employs 7,000 people and generates around half of the group’s £3bn annual sales.

Its most recent published annual accounts, for the year to July 2016, showed pre-tax profits of £110m.