Poultry industry hits back over '20-day claims'

POULTRY producers hit back angrily yesterday over claims that chicken labelled fresh and on sale in supermarkets around the country could be as much as 20 days old.

The British Poultry Council fears sales will be hit as a result of allegations made by an un-named meat hygiene inspector and published in the high-profile consumers’ magazine Which?.

The Food Standards Agency immediately ordered an investigation into the claims which it said could be putting consumers’ health at risk.

But BPC chief executive Peter Bradnock said yesterday that the organisation "strongly refutes the allegations made in the Which? article about widespread repackaging and re-dating of fresh chicken.

"Which? has simply repeated unsubstantiated comments from an anonymous meat inspector, made about one poultry processing plant.

"Which? has not carried out any investigation of its own into these allegations and presents no evidence to corroborate the statement in its article."

Bradnock said use-by dates of between eight and 12 days were agreed in advance for all poultry products between the packer and the customer and these are adhered to.

"Occasionally repackaging may be necessary if, for example, there is a fault with the packaging itself or if the label is incorrect for the contents of the pack, but it is not the practice to extend use-by dates," Bradnock said. "The claim that fresh chicken 20 days old may be being sold to retailers is unbelievable because it would be obviously off."

The BPC was supported by the big supermarket chains.

Sainsbury’s said: "All use-by dates applied to our own brand products are set by Sainsbury’s food safety experts to ensure the product is both safe and of the best quality."

A statement released by Morrisons and Safeway said: "We can confirm that no fresh chicken sold in our stores has been relabelled and repackaged to extend its use-by date."