The Good Food Chain is to cease trading with immediate effect and will be going into liquidation in
due course following the investigation into the recent listeria outbreak.
The Food Standards Agency confirmed on Wednesday (26th June 2019) that the company was not the
source of the outbreak and that - having been eliminated from the multi-agency inquiry - it could now
resume production. It added that ‘the business has been verified as meeting food safety legislation
and as following best practice for manufacturing, cleaning and environmental standards’.
However, with production having been continuously suspended since 5th June the impact on the
company has been too great for the business to remain viable.
Owner and founder Martyn Corfield said:
“I was absolutely devastated to hear that people had died after contracting listeriosis and have been
thinking constantly about all those affected and their families over the last few weeks.
“We have been co-operating very closely with the investigating authorities, and while Wednesday’s
confirmation that the Good Food Chain was not the source of the outbreak was welcome, it ultimately
came too late in the day for us to get the business back on to a sustainable footing.
“I feel desperately sorry for our brilliant and hardworking staff who, through no fault of their own,
now find themselves out of work. I would like to thank them for everything they have done for the
Good Food Chain, and particularly for their loyalty and patience over the last few weeks.”
The liquidation will be handled by Currie Young (www.currieyoung.com).
Notes
GFC employed 125 people. In addition, 40 agency staff were let go at the start of June 2019
when production was suspended.
GFC was founded in 1996 by Martyn Corfield.
The FSA’s press release of 26.06.19 can be found here:
https://www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/news/update-on-investigation-into-food-supply-chain-linked-to-listeria
For more information, please contact Tim Toulmin or Nick Buckley on
020 7692 5675 or tim.toulmin@alder-uk.com / nick.buckley@alder-uk.com
