Bosses of steak scandal firm may face jail
EXECUTIVES of the company at the centre of the latest food safety scare could face up to two years in jail if they are found to have breached hygiene rules.
Investigators at the Food Standards Agency are expected to interview key staff at Russell Hume under caution as part of a criminal inquiry. Anyone implicated could also face unlimited fines in court.
The firm’s six plants have been closed for six weeks after a spot-check at its Birmingham site uncovered concerns over hygiene and discrepancies in ‘use by’ dates, leading to suspect meat being impounded. The company supplied steaks and other meats to pub and restaurant chains including Wetherspoons and Jamie’s Italian.
The Foods Standards Agency said it was involved in an ‘intensifying investigation’ against Russell Hume but declined to comment further, saying: ‘We don’t want to jeopardise it.’
However, FSA chief executive Jason Feeney has admitted the
investigation is probing ‘serious and widespread problems’.
According to Unison, which represents meat inspectors, the last check at Russell Hume was a year ago. Union official Heather Wakefield said: ‘The amount of unfit meat that could have been released into the human food chain during this time doesn’t bear thinking about. There must be a permanent inspection presence in meat-cutting plants to protect the public and avoid the endless cycle of scandals.’
There is no evidence that anyone became ill after eating meat supplied by the firm.
When asked about individuals being questioned under caution, Russell Hume said it was ‘not appropriate to comment on the mechanics of an investigation’.
After the scare in Birmingham, the firm’s sites in Liverpool, London, Exeter, Boroughbridge in North Yorkshire and Inverkeithing in Fife were inspected and then shut down.