CADBURY FACES COURT OVER SALMONELLA OUTBREAK

23-04-2007

Birmingham chocolate maker Cadbury is being taken to court over last year’s salmonella contamination, which forced it to withdraw more than a million bars. The company has been summonsed to appear before city magistrates on June 15.

The action is being taken by Birmingham City Council which is making the following allegations:

1. Contrary to the General Food Regulations 2004: That between 19th January and 10th March 2006 Cadbury placed on the market ready to eat chocolate products which were unsafe, in that they were injurious to health and unfit for human consumption due to the presence of Salmonella organisms.
2. Contrary to the General Food Regulations 2004: That between 19th January and 18thJune 2006 Cadbury failed to immediately inform the competent authorities that they had reason to believe that ready to eat chocolate products, placed on the market, may be injurious to human health due to the presence of Salmonella organisms.
3. Contrary to Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2006: That between 19th Januaryand 18th June 2006 Cadbury failed to identify hazards from ready to eat chocolate products contaminated with Salmonella and failed to identify critical control points and corrective actions in line with Haccp (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) principles.

Each of the charges carries the possibility of an unlimited fine and/or a two year jail sentence.

Details of the problem were first reported in June 2006, but it later emerged that the company had problems at a plant in Herefordshire dating back to the previous January.

Cadbury’s insisted that there was no threat to public health, but the scare cost them £20million in lost sales - and for a time they even withdrew their sponsorship of Coronation Street.

A Cadbury's spokesman said: "We have fully co-operated with the authorities throughout this enquiry. We will examine the charges that have been brought. As a legal case is now pending, it would be inappropriate to comment further."