Shropshire Council working hard to ensure consumer safety after racking collapse

Complex work being carried out by Shropshire Council’s regulatory team to control the food safety risks at Edwards Transport Ltd in Hinstock is nearing completion.

On Friday 6 May 2016, a catastrophic racking collapse lead to 5,000 tonnes of cheese needing to be removed from the food chain to ensure the safety of consumers.

Officers from Shropshire Council’s regulatory team have been working closely with all parties involved to make sure the cheese is disposed of in the best way possible.

Work to dispose of the cheese began on Monday 12 September 2016 via anaerobic digestion, which turns it into gas and is an approved method to dispose of such waste.

The advantage of anaerobic digestion over landfill is that energy is created, meaning the cheese has some value instead of being just waste.

Mal Price, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for planning, housing, regulatory services and environment, said:

“Following the racking collapse, a lot of complex work has needed to be carried out by our regulatory services officers.

“Most important in cases like this is protecting the health and safety of consumers, and the work our officers have done to ensure that is the case has been exemplary.

“We are still in the process of conducting a full health and safety investigation.”

The aim of the team’s work is to ensure that food is safe to eat, and does not jeopardise the health of consumers.

Regular on-the-spot checks have been made whilst the product is being disposed of, to ensure compliance with the agreed disposal process.