A second meat supplier recalls products

A leading supplier of meat to pubs, bars and restaurants has recalled products after an unannounced Food Standards Agency (FSA) inspection, causing JD Wetherspoon to pull dishes from its menu again.

Fairfax Meadow has initiated a “voluntary withdrawal” of some meat products after the FSA raised concerns over the business’s date labelling procedures and processes.

A statement on Fairfax’s website said an immediate recall of meat products with pack codes 29–37 had been implemented due to labelling concerns.

The Morning Advertiser contacted the company for a comment, but had not received a response by the time of publication. The company supplies meat to JD Wetherspoon and has told pubs to bag up the meat and not use it.

‘Precautionary measure’

However, a statement indicated Fairfax was liaising with the FSA to ensure the “precautionary measure has been promptly implemented”. 

No enforcement action is to be taken by the FSA, which said it was satisfied by the supplier’s swift response.

The company will continue to operate during the withdrawal period and no other products or deliveries would be affected, said Fairfax Meadow managing director Penny Tomlinson.

In a statement, the FSA said: “Public health remains our top priority and at no stage has there been any indication that people have become ill from eating meat supplied by Fairfax Meadow.

‘Oversee product withdrawal’

“We, along with local authorities, are continuing to assess the situation and are working with the business to oversee their product withdrawal.”

This recall comes less than a month after Russel Hume was made to pull its products in similar ‘mislabelling’ circumstances.

The circumstances forced JD Wetherspoon, which was supplied by Russel Hume, to pull its full Tuesday Steak Club offer.

Russel Hume was initially requested to recall meat lines, before being forced to halt all production pending further investigations into “serious non-compliance” and food hygiene problems.