It was business as usual at Greencore in Britsol today – the latest food factory at the centre of the horse meat scandal.
Lorries continued to come and go from the ready meals factory where it emerged horse meat was found in a number of products.
Asda has pulled several fresh products from their shelves including beef bolognese sauce after horse was discovered to be an ingredient.
A receptionist at the factory, who refused to give her name, claimed to know nothing about this scandal.
She said: “I don’t know nothing about it. Everything is being dealt with through our head office.”
Greencore Group is an Irish food company, and one of Britain’s largest suppliers of ready meals.
It is also the largest supplier of ready-made sandwiches in the country.
Greencore makes own-brand ready meals for Asda, Co-Op and Sainsbury’s, but claim they use different beef in certain products.
The factory at the centre of the storm, in the Aztec West area of Bristol, is a huge building set inside an expansive business complex.
The green-clad brick and metal building had lorries coming and going throughout the day.
The company, which employs around 11,000 people across 17 manufacturing sites in the UK and six in America.
Officials at Greencore refused to apologise today over the horse meat scandal.
Spokesman Michael Evans said: “We have issued a statement, and will issue further statements when the time comes.”
When asked if they were going to issue an apology, he replied: “No”.
On the Greencore website, they state: “We aim to provide a distinctive approach that combines consumer understanding with customer care and a passion for providing the very best products and service.”
Greencore have issued a apology on their website, admitting horse was found in four of their products.
The company state there may be other products that contain horse flesh.
The statement reads: “Greencore can confirm that it supplied the Chosen By You 350g Beef Bolognese Sauce that Asda has withdrawn following the detection of traces of equine DNA in a screening test.
“The company is currently awaiting the results of further quantitative tests that will validate the presence and the extent of the equine DNA.
“The sauce contained meat that was supplied to Greencore under contract by the ABP Food Group’s Nenagh plant in County Tipperary, Ireland, an approved and regularly audited supplier.
“The company is working closely with them to determine the full facts as we await the results of the further tests.
“In addition, Asda has withdrawn three other Greencore products, none of which contain equine DNA, as a precautionary measure:
600g Beef Broth Soup
500g Meat Feast Pasta Sauce
400g Chilli Con Carne Soup
“Greencore is committed to maintaining the highest standards of food safety and food traceability, and is therefore extremely concerned that the quality of one of its products may have been compromised in this way.
“The company is participating in full with the intensive industry testing programme to examine the full supply chain in order to restore consumer confidence.”
Greencore issued a statement later today confirming one of its products had been removed from sale.
It said: “Greencore can confirm that it supplied the Chosen By You 350g Beef Bolognese Sauce that Asda has withdrawn following the detection of traces of equine DNA in a screening test.
“The company is currently awaiting the results of further quantitative tests that will validate the presence and the extent of the equine DNA.
“The sauce contained meat that was supplied to Greencore under contract by the ABP Food Group’s Nenagh plant in County Tipperary, Ireland, an approved and regularly audited supplier.
“The company is working closely with them to determine the full facts as we await the results of the further tests.
“In addition, Asda has withdrawn three other Greencore products, none of which contain equine DNA, as a precautionary measure: 600g Beef Broth Soup500g Meat Feast Pasta Sauce400g Chilli Con Carne Soup
“Greencore is committed to maintaining the highest standards of food safety and food traceability, and is therefore extremely concerned that the quality of one of its products may have been compromised in this way.
“The company is participating in full with the intensive industry testing programme to examine the full supply chain in order to restore consumer confidence.”
