British bakers and manufactu-rers have largely been unaffected by the Irish pork contamination issue, but a number of pork products have been recalled as a precautionary measure.
Frank Hayes, from Kerry Foods in Ireland said: "Our production in Ireland is very much centred around the Irish market, so by and large the UK market was unaffected." Kerry’s Dennys brand sausage rolls were on the product recall list for Sainsbury’s, but a number of the products on the list are only available in stores in Ireland. Asda also issued a recall list, which included Mini Melton Mowbray pork pies, though a spokesperson for Walkers Charnwood (part of Samworth Brothers) which produce the pies confirmed that the pork used "is sourced from mainland UK, so we are unaffected".
A spokesperson for the National Association of Master Bakers told British Baker: "The situation is a concern in the run-up to Christmas. We advise any members who are worried to go back down the distribution chain and identify where they sourced their pork, in the hope that, when that source gets the all-clear from the Food Standards Agency (FSA), they can use the pork confidently in their production."
A spokesperson for Tesco said the supermarket had already removed a small number of lines from sale in its British stores and is continuing to review its full product range.
A number of firms, including Pukka Pies, Dickinson & Morris, Ginsters and Pork Farms, have confirmed they have been unaffected. A spokesperson from Goodfellas said that its Goodfellas Friday Fever Meateor pizza had been "withdrawn from all major supermarkets in the UK and Ireland as a precaution".
The full list of meat processors in the Republic of Ireland and affected meat companies in England can be viewed on the FSA’s website [http://www.food.gov.uk].
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