Isle of Man Meats has reportedly thrown away around £40,000 worth of meat after a freezer failure.
The disposal of the meat followed the failure of a freezer over the weekend of 22nd July. The temperature of stock inside rose from -12°C to -5°C, meaning all stock had to be thrown away.
Due to the rise in temperature, the meat was also unable to be used for pet food.
In a statement, the plant said it focuses on selling fresh stock, using the freezer to prevent waste from unsold stock. It said it also uses the freezer to build up stocks of red offal to sell to the pet food industry, and stated that the freezer had failed “despite recent servicing of the freezer within the factory, and regular temperature compliance checks in place”.
The plant said: “Whilst waste occurs at each point in the chain across the food industry it is something that we strive to prevent, however legislation is in place to protect human health, and must take priority.”
The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (Defa) on the Isle of Man holds the position of majority shareholder, and said to Meat Management: “The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture plays no role in the operation of the Isle of Man meat plant and is therefore unable to comment on exactly what’s happened prior to discussing the situation with management.”
Isle of Man Meats has also been contacted for comment.
