Safer Poultry Processing with Biomaster Technology
After a joint investigation carried out by the Guardian and ITV into procedures at the 2 Sisters poultry processing plant in West Bromwich, concerns are being raised over just how hygienic supermarket chicken is.
An undercover reporter posing as a new staff member claimed to witness:
- Slaughter dates being tampered with
- Old and new meat mixed together
- Produce being picked up off the floor and repackaged
- Returned meat repackaged
The discovery has already resulted in severe repercussions for the company with Marks & Spencer, Aldi, Lidl and The Co-op all ceasing orders from the 2 Sisters site as investigations are carried out.
In addition to these unhygienic practices, there is a growing risk of Campylobacter spreading from the factory to supermarket shelves as poultry products are handled by staff throughout the supply chain.
Campylobacter is the most common cause of food poisoning in the UK and as it only takes a small dosage of the bacteria to trigger an illness it’s extremely important to take sufficient steps to reduce the risk of infection.
It’s estimated that around 280,000 people suffer from a Campylobacter related illness each year, with approximately one death every three days.
The FSA has recently commented that there is a risk of bacterial spread from raw meat, poultry & fish packaging which is why it’s incredibly important to handle packaging carefully, wash your hands after picking up trays in the supermarket and practice good bag hygiene.
There is an existing solution that could help to inhibit the spread of harmful bacteria on meat packaging which is already available for supermarkets to specify.
Biomaster inhibits the growth of bacteria like Campylobacter, E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria on the outer packaging surface of fresh meat and poultry packaging, including films, lidded film packs and trays.
This award winning technology has been tested and proven to work, yet supermarkets have been so far unwilling to incorporate the additional outlay into their profit margins despite the cost of incorporating Biomaster into packaging being as low as 1p per whole bird.
Adding Biomaster into flexible film packaging and materials such as PET, PE and PP is a straight-forward process and can be supplied in masterbatch, powder or liquid to suit any production process.
It’s easy to specify Biomaster into your packaging supply chain to ensure the optimal addition rate is achieved, providing you with the best level of antimicrobial product protection without incurring unnecessary costs.
Find out more about Biomaster HERE
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