2 Sisters Food Group will reopen its plant in West Bromwich today, just over a month after it was forced to halt production in the wake of explosive claims made by undercover reporters working for the Guardian and ITV.
“We can confirm that following comprehensive retraining sessions with all colleagues during October, we are restarting production at our site D facility in West Bromwich,” said a spokesman. “This will be phased over the coming weeks, working closely with our customers in the process.
“We would like to thank our colleagues at the site who have acted with understanding and professionalism during this unsettling period.”
The plant closed after undercover footage claimed to show workers throwing chickens back on conveyor belts after they had fallen on the floor and dates being changed on packs of chicken to alter the official date of slaughter.
In a grilling by the Commons environment, food and rural affairs committee on 25 October, Ranjit Singh Boparan, the founder of 2 Sisters Food Group, apologised for the food safety scandal facing his company and pledged to fund the cost of independent inspectors to police all 12 of his UK chicken processing plants.
He also pledged to improve standards at his factory, increase training of his workforce and install CCTV. He said he was sorry to “this committee, consumers, our customers and colleagues” and promised to “go see any retailer to ask them to take product from that factory” to try and restore confidence.
A spokesman for 2 Sisters said the plant would now have FSA inspectors on site at all times and had extended it use of CCTV, which was now monitored 24/7.