Chicken from suspended factory could have been sold in Scotland

Food Standards Scotland has refused to rule out that meat processed at the English chicken supplier which has closed down in the wake of a food scandal safety could have been distributed to supermarkets in Scotland.

The 2 Sisters factory has suspended operations.

The 2 Sisters processing plant in West Bromwich, which supplied supermarkets including Marks & Spencer, Aldi, Lidl, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and The Co-op suspended operations yesterday and said staff needed to be “appropriately retrained” before it starts resupplying customers.

Ian McWatt, operations director of FSS, said that the supply chain was “complex” and said the watchdog was awaiting an investigation by its sister organisation south of the border, the Food Standards Authority.

He said: “I don’t think there’s any need for consumers in Scotland to have any real concerns and we wouldn’t be advocating any change in normal practices.

“It would be inappropriate to comment as to the extent of the supply chain but we will have to await the outcome of their investigation.”

Mr McWatt said that there was no evidence that any of the breaches which took place in the 2 Sisters plant in England had taken place in Scottish slaughterhouses.