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Food alert for action Published Updated 2 times · 26 June 2024 FSA-FAFA-02-2024

Update 2: Food Alert For Action: Food Businesses who have purchased products from Block and Cleaver of Swanley, Kent

Food businesses and local authorities must act

The FSA has issued a Food Alert for Action. If you bought one of these products as a consumer, follow the advice below.

Check your pack

Beef meat and meat products

Use by
All dates up to and including 21 June 2024 except for products listed in Appendix 1

Pork meat and meat products

Use by
All dates up to and including 22 June 2024 except for products listed in Appendix 1

Chicken meat and meat products

Use by
All dates up to and including 22 June 2024 except for products listed in Appendix 1

The latest affected use-by date was 22 June 2024, which has passed. Recalled products can still be in cupboards and freezers, so check any you have at home.

What to do

Advice from the FSA notice:

  1. Actions being taken by enforcement authorities:
  2. As these products may not have been prepared in accordance with food hygiene, safety and other legislative requirements, they do not comply with the requirements of GB food law. Local Authorities have been requested to remove products that may be unsafe from the market.
  3. The products are known to have been supplied to food businesses across London and South East of England.
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Why it was recalled

The FSA's risk statement:

Beef, pork and chicken meat and meat products were not prepared in line with food safety and hygiene legislative requirements, they may be unsafe.

Beef, pork and chicken meat and meat products were not prepared in line with food safety and hygiene legislative requirements, so they may be unsafe.

Actions being taken by enforcement authorities:

As these products may not have been prepared in accordance with food hygiene, safety and other legislative requirements, they do not comply with the requirements of GB food law. Local Authorities have been requested to remove products that may be unsafe from the market.

The products are known to have been supplied to food businesses across London and South East of England.

Details from the notice

The number of meat and meat products supplied by a cutting plant in Swanley, Kent to be removed from the market has been narrowed down

The Food Standards Agency has alerted Environmental Health, Trading Standards Services and Official Veterinarians to take action to remove meat and meat products manufactured by Block and Cleaver from the market. The products affected have not been produced in accordance with GB food law requirements, and therefore may be unsafe. The affected products have been supplied to food businesses in London and South East England.

The products should not be eaten because they may have incorrect use by dates, are subject to traceability breaches, may not have been manufactured in accordance with food safety management systems and may be unsafe.

We have asked food businesses such as restaurants, cafes and hotels to withdraw from sale meat or meat products supplied by Block and Cleaver with use by dates of 21 and 22 June 2024, because they may be unsafe to eat. Food businesses have also been asked to dispose of the products safely.

We have also asked food businesses who have sold meat or meat products directly to consumers at retail, to undertake product recalls and inform their Local Authority, who will then inform the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

Update 2: This FAFA replaces FAFA Update 1.

We have received further information, and we have been able to narrow down the number of products causing concern.

We have found that several products do not pose food safety concerns so they are no longer affected by this FAFA.

Unaffected products are:

Products not processed or repackaged by Block and Cleaver (see Appendix 1),

All products manufactured after production resumed on 20 June 2024 that have use by dates of 23 June 2024 onwards.

Unaffected products are not in breach of GB food law requirements and therefore no product withdrawal or recalls are required.

A Food Alert for Action asks local authorities and businesses to take specific action, usually because the problem is serious or widespread.

Where it was sold

The FSA lists this alert for: England.

Updates to this recall

  1. · FSA-FAFA-02-2024
    Original alert: Food Alert For Action: Food Businesses who have purchased products from Block and Cleaver of Swanley, Kent
  2. · FSA-FAFA-02-2024-update-1
    Update 1: Update 1: Food Alert For Action: Food Businesses who have purchased products from Block and Cleaver of Swanley, Kent
    • New batch or date details: use by All dates up to and including 21 June 2024; use by All dates up to and including 22 June 2024
    • Advice to consumers was updated
  3. · FSA-FAFA-02-2024-update-2
    Update 2: Update 2: Food Alert For Action: Food Businesses who have purchased products from Block and Cleaver of Swanley, Kent
    • New batch or date details: use by All dates up to and including 21 June 2024 except for products listed in Appendix 1; use by All dates up to and including 22 June 2024 except for products listed in Appendix 1
    • Advice to consumers was updated

How this recall compares

  • Unsafe production has caused 35 UK food recalls since 2018, most often in meat and poultry, followed by fruit and vegetables. All unsafe production recalls

Counts from FSA and FSS alerts since January 2018.