Cranswick Share Discussion Threads

[le mass du pap] 19/8/2007 16:30

Finally compare the headlines......

------------------------------------------------------
Cranswick's near clean sweep under BRC audits Published: (19-05-2006)

A FOOD manufacturer is celebrating after eight out of its nine plants claimed 'A' grade status under the BRC Global Food Standard following EFSIS inspections. The BRC Global Food Standard is the industry benchmark for food safety, legality and quality.

Andrew Caines, group technical director at Cranswick Country Foods, said: "This is a great achievement for the team at Cranswick. Our aim is to achieve the highest standards in product food safety, traceability, legality and quality and achieving A grade status at so many of our manufacturing sites is testament to the hard work and commitment of the Cranswick team at all levels of our business and at all sites within the group."

Emma West, EFSIS certification manager, said: "It is a great achievement...and is a reflection on the Cranswick group's high level of commitment to standards. Management teams are forward thinking and pro-active. HACCP, traceability and quality management systems are comprehensive and well implemented"

-------------------------------------------------------

Morrisons stores 'warned over food hygiene'

Environmental health inspectors noted breaches of rules at Paisley stores at centre of outbreak

TWO SCOTTISH supermarkets at the centre of an E coli outbreak which has claimed the life of a pensioner had been warned over contraventions of food hygiene procedures.

Reports from environmental health officers have highlighted more than 20 concerns over standards at the Falside Road and Lonend branches of Morrisons in Paisley in the past three years.

------------------------------------------

It's a no-brainer ;-)

[le mass du pap] 19/8/2007 16:02

Similar article on BBC.........

[le mass du pap] 19/8/2007 15:32

Today's online Sunday Herald


----------------------------------------------------
Morrisons stores 'warned over food hygiene'
By Judith Duffy, Health Correspondent


Environmental health inspectors noted breaches of rules at Paisley stores at centre of outbreak

TWO SCOTTISH supermarkets at the centre of an E coli outbreak which has claimed the life of a pensioner had been warned over contraventions of food hygiene procedures, the Sunday Herald can reveal.

Reports from environmental health officers have highlighted more than 20 concerns over standards at the Falside Road and Lonend branches of Morrisons in Paisley in the past three years. It is believed that cold cooked meats from the delicatessen counters at these stores are the most likely source of the deadly E coli 0157 infection which has so far affected a total of nine people.

Among the issues raised by inspectors from Renfrewshire Council were:
l Poor food-handling procedures which "must be addressed".

l Concerns over the safety of meat pies being displayed for sale for up to 12 hours at room temperatures.

l Raw eggs being stored on warm surfaces which could allow the growth of harmful bacteria.

l Opened foodstuffs in the butchery chill department which were not labelled with a use-by sticker, as required by the company policy.

l Concerns about the risk of cross-contamination between raw meat and poultry in the "reduced to clear" cabinet.

l Food temperature probes being encrusted with food debris.

The outbreak of E coli came to light last week after the death of 66-year-old MargaretRowan,fromPaisley.A further eight cases have been identified, the most recent of which emerged on Friday.Threepeople,including Rowan's 72-year-old husband Stephen, are still being treated in hospital.

While investigations into the exact source of the bug are continuing, health chiefs leading the outbreak control team have stated that cold cooked meatsfrom Morrisons' Lonend and Falside Road branches are "the most likely vehicles of infection".

An inspection of the Falside Road store in October 2005 resulted in seven contraventions of food safety regulations being noted, and in May this year a further 10 points were raised by inspectors. The most recent report stated that there were "some poor food-handling procedures which must be addressed prior to the next programmed inspection".

At the Lonend store, an inspection in August 2006 listed four contraventions of regulations, including the practice of storing raw eggs on a warm cooker surface, which could increase the potential for bacterial growth.

The latest report on the store, issued in March this year, noted two concerns including that "a variety of meat pies are cooked and thereafter displayed for sale for up to 12 hours".

It added: "I would be obliged if you would provide me with details of analysis for the products implicated in this practice which demonstrate that they comply with food safety requirements after being stored at ambient temperatures for 12 hours."

There portal so warned that the delivery temperatures of refrigerated vans were not being recorded, which could be a "potential shortcoming" in the company's food safety policy and "due diligence defence", which can be used to show that all reasonable practical steps have been taken to prevent an incident from happening if any legal action is taken.

Leading food safety expert Hugh Pennington,a former emeritus professor of microbiology at Aberdeen University, said that while the faults reported did not suggest an increased risk of E coli infection, it raised questions over the standards at the stores.

"They are not perfect reports and one would expect a big business like Morrisons to be able to deliver a pretty clean sheet," he said. "It is always disappointing to find a big firm falling down a bit."

Ishbel Mackinnon, the co-ordinator of Ecoli support group Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome Help (Hush), said food safety procedures had been tightened since the world's worst E coli outbreak claimed 21 lives in Wishaw in 1996.

But she added: "At the end of the day these regulations are only as good as the people that are implementing them.

"I am concerned that perhaps more needs to be done in the way of training to make sure everyone is totally aware of what the regulations are and why things are being done."

A spokesman for Morrisons said it had a "strong history" of good hygiene compliance. "As is consistent with the norm for the industry, we receive regular routine assessment of our food preparation areas," he added. "Actions arising from the inspection reports are promptly and professionally taken,as would be expected of one of the UK's leading retailers."

An investigation by the Sunday Herald has also revealed that councils across Scotland are failing to carry out food hygiene inspections at the minimum required frequencies.A review of local authorities' food law enforcement services, which is being carried out by the Food Standards Agency, has identified this as an issue in 16 out of 24 councils audited to date.

Tom Bell, chief executive of the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland, warned that a shortage of environmental health officers was an ongoing problem."There are still a number of students coming out of university without training places, and the number of vacancies in local authorities is not sufficient to meet the needs of the future," he said.

A spokeswoman for the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) said there was a range of reasons why some inspections were not carried out within the planned timescale, including staff being diverted to emergency incidents or not being able to get access to premises.

But she acknowledged that there have been "capacity problems" in the environmental health workforce in all parts of the UK and added that Cosla was working with councils to address workforce planning issues.

-------------------------------------------

QED. The drop in Cranswick's share price from their association with this story has simply presented a buying opportunity. I expect the share price to rebound sharply as soon as the market realises Cranswick had nothing to do with it, whatsoever.

[le mass du pap] 19/8/2007 15:11

From The Scotsman...........

Cranswick Country Foods, one supplier to the delis, said yesterday it was working with environmental health officers.

Adam Couch, a spokesman for the firm, said: "We're not the exclusive supplier of deli meats to Morrisons, but we do supply the chain with a wide range of products for delis.

"We've been co-operating with the local environmental health officers, and we've carried out rigorous microbiological tests. We're satisfied with all our records but we'll assist Morrisons with the investigation."

-------------------------------------------

.....that last bit is the key! They are satisfied that they are not the source. The records will be those from the original product testing laboratory and also factory swabs which clearly conclude that all the meat they have sent to Morrisons was perfectly safe at the point it left the factory.

[le mass du pap] 17/8/2007 20:53

It's worth adding that once the meat arrives at Morrisons it is then unpacked by clean/unclean hands, put on a clean/unclean surface, sliced on a clean/unclean slicer, put in clean/unclean trays, wrapped in clean/unclean wrapping by clean/unclean hands etc, etc, etc.......all by people with virtually no qualifications or idea of food safety!

Factories like Cranswick, that achieve such high standards of food safety, are swabbed to within an inch of their lives. No way did this originate there! Also take note of the fact that Morrison's themsleves are the source of all news coming out at present. Their PR machine is in full swing! They'll probably drag it out for a while by blaming everyone under the sun until public interest in the story receded. At that point they will be prepared to take the hit as it will have minimum impact on their business.

[le mass du pap] 17/8/2007 19:26

It all goes by refridgerated transport on the day it is cleared for dispatch. It is delivered within hours. Once it leaves Cranswick it is not their responsibility, it is the responsibility of the courier. Once it arrives it is the responsibilty of the customer to flag up any problems re-packaging etc. A delivery that takes longer than usual should be deemed a non-compliance by Morrisons and the product will be binned and the courier blamed. The products are also vacuum packed in sealed polythene so no chance of cross contamination. Once Morrisons have recieved it and unpacked it they are responsible. Remember these products have several days shelf life anyway so length of delivery time is unlikely to be the cause. Don't look for a reason to blame Cranswick. All the evidence points to Morrison's handling of the product after delivery as the cause.

When it left Cranswick(if they are in fact the supplier!) it will have been passed as safe by an independant, accredited laboratory and fit for human consumption. What happens after that is not their problem. The laboratory testing is to protect the consumer and indirectly the supplier in cases like this. Environmental Health will only have to check the testing laboratory to clear Cranswick of any blame. If the laboratory got it wrong then that is their problem, but highly, highly unlikely.

[m.t.glass] 17/8/2007 17:52

But who is reponsible between despatch and receipt? Presumably the sender? I presume the transport is hired/supplied by sender? So any contamination due to mishandling or delays in transit (ie, after earlier check) gets blamed on supplier?

Not looking to impugn Cranswick here - I like the company. Just curious.

[le mass du pap] 17/8/2007 17:25

MT Glass and anyone else concerned....

One final factor and it's the most compelling is that cooked cold meats are only allowed to go to the supermarket following, what is called, a 'positive release'. What this means is that the product is tested at an independant UKAS accredited food-testing laboratory for Listeria, Salmonella and E-Coli and the test must be negative before the product is even allowed to leave the supplier. This is because the food is eaten cold and not rendered safe by the consumer cooking it. It applies to all meat products that are sold pre-cooked and eaten cold by the consumer.

So it must have been cleared before being sent out to Morrison's. Therefore Cranswick CANNOT be to blame.

This info is from a microbiologist who works in a UKAS accredited laboratory. They are familiar with both Morrison's and Cranswick products.

[le mass du pap] 17/8/2007 17:13

Remember that TV programme a few weeks back on BBC1...Whistleblower? They showed that the supermarkets sell meats well past their sell date, mix mince with cold meats and don't wash their hands etc etc.....
Foods are then sometimes distributed from one store to another so the proximity of the two would suggest that is what happened. Prior to that it would have been just one batch which was probably past the sell by date or left out in the sun or something stupid like that. You can bet your life that it was 'disposed' of immediately following the outbreak! Morrison's will do everything they possibly can to pass the buck....even as far as blackmailing suppliers with regards to their supply contract and taking the blame. Believe me I know what I am talking about. If consumers knew there would be bedlam.

I just hope Cranswick et al are the subject of a fair investigation and the real truth comes out.

[m.t.glass] 17/8/2007 17:01

Thanks for that (271). When the story first broke the other day, my first thought was actually the opposite of yours.. that if more than one store was involved it was more likely a supplier issue, rather than some dirtyhanded individual. But maybe the two branches are close enough for produce to have been moved from one to the other, and for it therefore to possibly be an in-store issue.

I have previously been able to bring up entire articles from just-food.com without subscribing - but not this time.

[le mass du pap] 17/8/2007 17:01

Cranswick's near clean sweep under BRC auditsPublished: (19-05-2006)

A FOOD manufacturer is celebrating after eight out of its nine plants claimed 'A' grade status under the BRC Global Food Standard following EFSIS inspections.

Cranswick Country Food was awarded the accolade for sites at Cranswick Gourmet Sausage/Lazenby's in Sutton Fields near Hull; The Sandwich Factory, Atherstone; Cranswick Gourmet Bacon, Waterfoot; Cranswick Country Foods, Preston; and four manufacturing sites making up Cranswick Convenience Foods in Barnsley, Sutton Fields, Deeside and Elland.

The BRC Global Food Standard is the industry benchmark for food safety, legality and quality and in 2005 was extensively revised to re?ect EU legislation and increased best practice requirements from UK retailers. Organisations are graded on a scale of A-D. The audits took place over a period of two days per site, and encompassed all activities, from raw material purchase, production, staff training, and product development. Critical topics such as food safety management, product traceability, factory environment and product and process control are covered by the standard.

Andrew Caines, group technical director at Cranswick Country Foods, said: "This is a great achievement for the team at Cranswick. Our aim is to achieve the highest standards in product food safety, traceability, legality and quality and achieving A grade status at so many of our manufacturing sites is testament to the hard work and commitment of the Cranswick team at all levels of our business and at all sites within the group."

The auditing procedure establishes a standard for the supply of food products and acts as a key piece of compliance evidence for UK retailers and brand owners in approving their suppliers. Changes in legislation, introduced in 2005, require more rigorous traceability throughout the supply chain to ensure that food components remain uncontaminated and traceable to source during their manufacture.

Emma West, EFSIS certi? cation manager, said: "It is a great achievement...and is a re?ection on the Cranswick group's high level of commitment to standards. Management teams are forward thinking and pro-active. HACCP, traceability and quality management systems are comprehensive and well implemented

[le mass du pap] 17/8/2007 16:47

from the Herald

"Although the meat suppliers were identified as a possible source of infection, meat supplies were not withdrawn from Morrisons' other 368 stores in the UK - including 48 in Scotland - because no other foods from the group's stores have been "implicated" in the outbreak so far."

[le mass du pap] 17/8/2007 16:43

Thanks for that MTG, but totally irrelevent I reckon. They cannot be implicated imho. More likely some mucky deli staff at Morrisons stuck their fingers in it when it was already past it's use by date. Typical of the supermarkets, blame the suppliers, pass the buck etc.........

If it was a supplier it would be widespread and not at just at 2 stores in Scotland!

I look forward to the bounce when Morrison's are forced to admit it was them.

[m.t.glass] 17/8/2007 16:34

"Suppliers of meat to Morrisons, including Cranswick Country Foods, are also helping the officials with their investigation. The outbreak comes amid a ..."

That is the opening bit of an article at just-food.com, the rest being accessible to subscribers only. It refers to the e-coli outbreak in Paisley

[le mass du pap] 17/8/2007 12:02

Greggs, the country's leading sausage roll and sandwich seller, surprised the stockmarket with a strong rise in pre-tax profits - up 34% to £16.7m in the 24 weeks to June 16, on sales up 5% to £256m. Citigroup is forecasting full year earnings per share of 289.8p against 252p in 2006, despite one of the wettest summers on record and flooding across many parts of the country.

Boss Michael Durrington said the weather would not upset Greggs' full-year profit prospects. In the first five weeks of the current year, sales were up 4.1% despite the shops closed in flooded areas.

[riskblue] 11/8/2007 22:56

Do they have any facilities hit by the foot and mouth exclusion zone a sthat would explain it?

[le mass du pap] 09/8/2007 11:38

Seems most Cranswick investors need nappies. More wetting of pants for no reason again this morning.