Welsh Bros said a sample had ‘potentially’ tested positive
Cardiff council has followed Pembrokeshire in
withdrawing some meat products from schools and care homes amid fears of
horsemeat contamination.
Meat supplied by Welsh Bros Ltd to a consortium of 16 authorities
including the two councils is suspected to have horsemeat present after
tests.Welsh Bros said it was shocked but believed it was an isolated incident.
Pembrokeshire council said it had received assurances from its other suppliers that meats were traceable.
Pembrokeshire withdrew all mince products from schools, care homes and day centres.
Cardiff council said it had decided to withdraw all beef food products sourced from Welsh Bros from all its schools, leisure centres, care homes and other council catering outlets.
Alan Heycock, managing director of the company based in Newport, south Wales, said: “We do our best to promote quality British products”.
He said they had been let down by a non-Welsh company, adding: “We received an e-mail about this last night. A test came back positive. We haven’t seen the certificate yet.
“This is all under investigation with trading standards now and we are waiting for further information”.
The meat involved was distributed in December 2012.
“We’re very busy contacting our customers now and letting them know,” added Mr Heycock.
Jordan Davies reports on the latest developments
The company later issued a formal statement saying a sample of meat had “potentially” tested positive for horsemeat but the company had taken the decision to inform customers and withdraw the product immediately.
The statement said: “The batch affected was produced nearly three months ago. Welsh Bros Foods did have a clear test result for frozen free flow minced beef on 17.01.13. We submitted these samples when the horse meat scandal first broke in January.
“We have since submitted further samples which we are still awaiting test results for.
“Welsh Bros has been provided with test results from other authorities who have tested more recent batches of our free flow minced beef and these have been reported as being clear.
“We therefore believe at this stage that this is an isolated incident.
“We have today issued a withdraw notice with the Food Standards Agency for frozen free flow minced beef produced between 13.12.12 which was the pack date of the suspect test and 17.01.13 which is the date we achieved our clear test result.”
Food safety visits
Pembrokeshire council said the mince in question may have been supplied to schools and council-run residential homes and day centres within the county.
In a separate development, the council said it had also been made aware that frozen beef products supplied to Sodexho, which provides catering services to a private finance initiative school in Pembroke Dock, had also tested positive for horsemeat.
Sodexho has had a private catering contract with the school since it opened. Its meat was not bought through the Welsh Purchasing Consortium (WPC) which comprises the 16 local authorities in south, mid and west Wales, including Pembrokeshire.
“Start Quote
End QuoteIt is absolutely vital that the government responds to this swiftly and works closely with council officials and the FSA”
Antoinette Sandbach AM
Conservative rural affairs spokeswoman
Sodexho has withdrawn all frozen beef products from its UK catering operations.
Meanwhile the council said officers from Pembrokeshire’s food safety and standards team were prioritising visits to all cold stores, approved meat products and meat processing premises which had not been inspected in the last 12 months to check relevant documentation, labelling and traceability in line with Food Standards Agency (FSA) advice.
Caerphilly council, which manages purchasing for the WPC, said it was contacting the other councils to see if they were affected by the horsemeat discovery.
Ceredigion council, although a member of the consortium, said it had never purchased any meat products from Welsh Bros of Newport. The authority said Castell Howell Ltd supplied all council establishments with fresh meat.
Conservative rural affairs spokeswoman Antoinette Sandbach AM called for quicker action by ministers to reassure the public.
“It is absolutely vital that the government responds to this swiftly and works closely with council officials and the FSA,” she said.
“Labour’s minister for food has been slow to react to the horsemeat scandal and now is the time to put that right.
“With consumer confidence taking another knock, it is more important than ever for the government to ensure promotion of the local supply chain and local butchers.”
