Hundreds lose jobs as Derbyshire meat factory enters administration following three arrests

Police arrested three people at Loscoe Chilled Foods, in the outskirts of Heanor, on March 22 – after attending the site alongside officers from the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

It is alleged that, according to national reports, the company mislabelled meat from South America and Europe as British.

Following the arrests, the company lost its British Retail Consortium food safety accreditation – with customers subsequently cancelling orders for cooked meats from the site.

On March 24, staff received a letter which revealed that the firm had collapsed into administration – with every employee at the factory being made redundant.

The letter, from personnel manager Ian Brookes, said: “I wanted to provide you with an update following my recent announcement that staff would be temporarily laid off as a result of customers withdrawing orders, following the suspension of our BRC certificate.

“While the business had hoped to find a buyer so that it could keep operating, this has not proven to be possible as of yet. Therefore, it is with regret that I must inform you that Loscoe Chilled Foods Limited is entering into administration. This means that the business is closing and that, with effect from Friday, March 24, 2023, all roles within the business will be made redundant.

“I appreciate that this is not the news that you wanted or needed to hear. On a personal level, I wanted to tell you how very sorry I am and to thank you all for your dedication and service to the business.

“That has certainly not been unappreciated, and it has been a pleasure to work with you all over the years. I wish you and your families all the very best for the future.”

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The National Food Crime Unit (NFCU), part of the FSA, launched an investigation into the supply of UK supermarket chain Booths with mislabelled, pre-packed sliced meat in 2021.

Darren Davies, head of the National Food Crime Unit, said: “The Food Standard Agency’s NFCU, working with Derbyshire Constabulary, Derbyshire County Council Trading Standards and Environmental Health teams, made an unannounced visit to a premises linked to a live criminal investigation into alleged food fraud.

“Three people were arrested and have now been released under investigation. The investigation involves meat allegedly misrepresented as being British. We take food fraud very seriously and are acting urgently to protect the consumer.”