The Home Secretary Teressa May has agreed to meet with representatives of the fresh produce industry after reports of several lorry-loads of produce being destroyed after illegal immigrants were found hiding in them.
FPC chief executive Nigel Jenney said, “FPC is aware of this issue and has provided advice to members in the past. There is technology available to check whether fresh produce has been contaminated, and companies can look to use such techniques. This has always been a concern but events over recent weeks have shown that it is a major issue, with hundreds of thousands of pounds of goods having to be destroyed.
“The integrity of fresh produce and customer safety is a paramount concern and no fresh produce should be permitted to enter the supply chain if its safety has been compromised in any fashion. We are developing an industry group and approaching other elements of the supply chain to ensure that we have a consistent approach to this issue.
According to some reports, Euro Tunnel is spending millions trying to secure the French side of the Channel Tunnel and stop immigrants gaining access to waiting lorries.