ABP Food determined to work through 'Silvercrest incident' after burgers scandal
The ABP Food group has said it will not allow the "Slivercrest incident" at the centre of the recent horsemeat-in-burgers controversy to overshadow the whole business.
Tesco this morning announced it had cancelled its €15m Silvercrest contract for frozen meats products after Food Safety Authority tests discovered horse DNA in three Tesco frozen beefburger lines as well as in products in other supermarkets. One of the Tesco burgers was 29% horsemeat.
Tesco will continue to purchase fresh Irish beef worth more than €100m a year from other ABP companies.
ABP Food said it understood the Tesco decision, and welcomed their decision to continue sourcing fresh beef from other ABP companies.
"The ABP Food Group has developed a very strong business - based on trust. We have let our customers down in this incident and we apologise for this," the company said in a statement this afternoon.
Paul Finnerty, ABP Food Group CEO said: "We have already implemented total management change at the Silvercrest facility – which remains closed.
"We also have effected a group reorganisation to better manage our convenience foods business. We have put in place new procedures to audit all our third party suppliers.
"We have also established comprehensive DNA testing procedures (and) will become an industry leader in this area."
He said the company was determined "not to allow the Silvercrest incident overshadow what is a great business."
