Cadbury cutbacks allowed salmonella in its chocolate

Published on Saturday 14 July 2007 02:21

CADBURY deliberately allowed salmonella to enter its chocolate bars, as part of a move to change its quality-testing systems and save money, a court has heard.

The confectionery giant sought to cut costs and reduce waste with a "tolerance level" for salmonella in products.

Until 2003, Cadbury had destroyed any chocolate which tested positive for salmonella, adopting an approach that "no amount of testing will make a positive result go away".

Barry Berlin, prosecuting Cadbury on behalf of Birmingham City Council, described the change in 2003 as "utterly inappropriate".

He said: "They [Cadbury] then changed it to what they believed to be an allowable tolerance level.

"They sought to save money from wastage by allowing a tolerance for salmonella in their food. Large quantities of products were being destroyed and Cadbury's were looking for ways of avoiding that, and that's what they did. There is no dispute that there is a linkage between the chocolate that was distributed by Cadbury and the poisoning that took place later on."

Mr Berlin told Birmingham Crown Court there was no safe level for salmonella in ready-to-eat products and it could survive in chocolate for years.

The court also heard that chocolate protected salmonella organisms from acid in the stomach.

Cadbury pleaded guilty earlier this year to breaching food and hygiene regulations in connection with the outbreak in the summer of 2006.

Salmonella was found in some of the firm's products between January and March 2006 and the firm recalled many of its products on 23 June.

Referring Recorder James Guthrie, QC, to salmonella research, Mr Berlin said: "Cadbury knew perfectly well, we submit, that outbreaks of salmonella had been associated with very low levels in chocolate."

Cadbury has apologised for failing to realise a leaking pipe at its factory in Marlbrook, Herefordshire, was a risk to health.

The firm's barrister told a previous hearing that it had spent 20 million on improvements, including changes to quality control. More than a million items were recalled in June last year because of the outbreak.

The Birmingham-based company was committed for sentence at the Crown Court after previously admitting offences.

The court heard that in early 2006, Cadbury was often dealing with "daily" problems with salmonella - with staff referring to contamination by codewords rather than using the "s-word".

Mr Berlin said the source of the national food poisoning outbreak was discovered "largely by chance" because of the firm's failure to tell the authorities of dozens of positive tests.

It also emerged three of those made ill by the infected chocolate were taken to hospital.

Mr Berlin claimed that Cadbury had closed its eyes to "glaringly obvious" risks.

In a statement at the end of yesterday's proceedings, Cadbury apologised for the error.