Alleged illegal relabelling and extension of 'use by' dates on fresh chicken

Monday 27 September 2004

The Food Standards Agency launched an investigation following a report by consumer magazine Which? in March 2004 that some processing plants re-label their poultry meat several times before it reaches the shops, extending its 'use by' dates to up to 20 days after slaughter.

The magazine claimed that this was pushing the boundaries of freshness, quality and safety.

This was a serious allegation and we immediately launched an investigation into these claims.

The Meat Hygiene Service, which is responsible for enforcing meat hygiene legislation in licensed slaughterhouses and cutting plants in Great Britain, and representatives of the relevant local authorities, which are responsible for enforcement of labelling legislation, were asked to investigate the allegations of re-packaging and re-labelling and abuse of the 'use by' date on fresh chickens.

In addition David Statham, the Agency's Director of Enforcement and Food Standards, wrote to the chief executives of the main supermarkets asking for their observations on the allegations, asking what their instructions were on acceptable 'use by' dates and re-labelling.

The letter also asked whether the supermarkets' customer complaint data indicated increased consumer concern over poor quality of chicken.