Silo refurbishment blamed for Hovis glass recall
Premier issued a recall on Hearty Oats 800g loaves with a best-before date up to and including June 20 this week after receiving complaints from five customers in three days.
One complaint is understood to be a confirmed contamination, while the others are still being investigated. Hearty Oats production on the affected line has been halted until an investigation is completed.
FoodManufacture.co.uk understands that glass may have contaminated a dedicated storage silo (exclusively used to store the specific flour and oat blend used in the Hearty Oats loaf) that was being refurbished by specialist contractors.There will be a much clearer view when the company is able to empty the silo and gain access to inspect its internal integrity.
While the loaves are manufactured at two sites, only one is understood to be affected.
A spokesman said: “Food safety is our top priority. Immediately we became aware that product may have become contaminated we took steps to stop production, remove the affected product from sale and instigate a full recall.
"At this stage it seems likely that the source of the contamination relates to the recent refurbishment of a dedicated storage silo by specialist contractors."
He added: "We ask any customers who have product with the relevant date codes to destroy any affected product in their possession and return the packaging to us for a full refund.”
No other Hovis products are known to be affected, he said.
Click here to see the Food Standards Agency recall alert in full.
