Bakers Basco has recovered more than 2,900 pieces of essential bakery equipment across Northern Ireland over the last year.
This includes 1,605 Omega baskets and 1,315 dollies, underscoring the persistent challenges of equipment misuse in the bakery supply chain and the cooperative’s determination to address them head-on to safeguard its assets.
Bakers Basco was established in 2006 by the five largest bakery manufacturers in the UK – Allied Bakeries, Fine Lady Bakeries, Frank Roberts & Sons, Hovis, and Warburtons. It currently manages an equipment pool of approximately five million Omega baskets and 500,000 dollies, to facilitate the safe and sustainable transport of bread to retailers, with each unit potentially reused up to 400 times.
Since expanding its operations to cover Northern Ireland (as well as Scotland) 12 months ago, Bakers Basco’s team has investigated 32 leads in the territory, leading to the recovery of misused equipment and issuing various charges against offenders.
From retailers improperly discarding Omega wheels to local markets and online platforms using the equipment unlawfully, the scale of misuse has reached alarming levels, it said, prompting an intensified recovery operation.
Among the more concerning findings, Bakers Basco uncovered incidents of Omega wheels being discarded in skips, equipment used for market displays in Craigavon, and unauthorised sales of Omega baskets on social media platforms. Last August, it called on social media and auction websites to crackdown on such illegal sales.
“Over 2,900 pieces of equipment recovered in just one region demonstrates the magnitude of the problem we’re tackling,” said Stacey Brown, national investigations manager for Bakers Basco. “Every basket or dolly misused disrupts the supply chain, burdens bakeries financially and detracts from the sustainability of the circular economy we’re striving to protect. We’re leaving no stone unturned to educate, investigate, and, when necessary, pursue legal action to ensure compliance.”
Legal action remains a last resort, typically preceded by efforts to recover equipment through cooperation and education. Bakers Basco noted it continues to work closely with Worthingtons Law to address ongoing legal cases in Northern Ireland, with one case already successfully settled this year.
The organisation also delivers educational briefings to plant bakery drivers, providing them with essential insights into its mission and equip them with the knowledge to spot and report equipment misuse. Last year, for example, it conducted sessions with 352 drivers at 14 Warburtons sites.
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