Fire suspends production at Kettle Chips factory

Fire rescue services were called at around 4.30am this morning but the issue was contained and the blaze immediately quenched by an internal team. 

A spokesperson for Kettle Foods told Food Manufacture​ that nobody was injured in the incident and that production of its Kettle Chips would now continue as normal. 

“A minor fire in one of our cook rooms was contained and immediately put out by our internal team early this morning,​” a statement said. 

All-clear​ 

"The fire brigade was called as a precautionary measure, although the fire had already been extinguished, and we were given the all-clear.​ 

"At Kettle, we pride ourselves in developing the highest quality products, therefore, we have temporarily suspended production to ensure there is no compromise in our award winning chips. We’d like to confirm that no products were affected and production will restart shortly.”​ 

In May it was reported that up to 500 jobs were at risk at the crisp maker Kettle Foods, after reports of owner Campbell wishing to sell the business​​. 

It was then revealed in September that Valeo Foods had agreed to acquire the firm from Campbell, in a deal worth £66m​​.

Continued growth​ 

The deal resulted in Campbell withdrawing from the sector across Europe. Valeo Foods chief executive Seamus Kearney said that the sector was continuing to grow, adding that further expansion was expected after the acquisition. 

“This acquisition is consistent with our long-term goal of building a dynamic international portfolio of attractive ,resilient and popular food brands that consumers love to enjoy,​” he said.