15/06/2007

Cadbury pleads guilty to salmonella charges

Cadbury has pleaded guilty to three hygiene offences in connection with a salmonella scare last summer.

Birmingham City Council, which is responsible for enforcing health and safety legislation at Cadbury's plant in Bournville, had alleged that the firm had put "unsafe" chocolate on sale last year between January and March.

One million chocolate bars had to be recalled last year.

It was also alleged that the firm failed to immediately inform relevant authorities about potential dangers and failed to identify "hazards" posed by the salmonella contamination.

Each charge has a maximum penalty of unlimited fines and/or two years imprisonment.

The company is due to be sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on July 13.

At a hearing at Birmingham Magistrates Court, Anthony Scrivener QC, acting on behalf of Cadbury, said that the firm did not agree with all of the facts put forward by the prosecution, but said that it accepted responsibility and pleaded guilty to the charges.

Mr Scrivener also said that the company had spent £20 million in order to improve its systems.

A statement issued by Cadbury after the hearing said: "Mistakenly, we did not believe that there was a threat to health and thus any requirement to report the incident to the authorities - we accept that this approach was incorrect.

"Quality has always been at the heart of our business, but the process we followed in the UK in this instance was unacceptable. We have apologised for this and do so again today."

Cadbury is also facing a second set of charges brought by Herefordshire Magistrates over possible environmental breaches at their factory near Leominster.

(KMcA/JM)


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