Hula Hoops factory investigated after employee brands it ‘filthy, disgusting and covered in tar-like goo’
A WHISTLEBLOWER has branded the factory where Hula Hoops are made as “disgusting” and “filthy”. The KP Snacks plant is said to have had £30million worth of new machinery installed but it’s been claimed it is “rarely” cleaned and “covered in tar-like goo”. The factory produces the popular snack 24 hours a day as well […]
A WHISTLEBLOWER has branded the factory where Hula Hoops are made as “disgusting” and “filthy”.
The KP Snacks plant is said to have had £30million worth of new machinery installed but it’s been claimed it is “rarely” cleaned and “covered in tar-like goo”.
The factory produces the popular snack 24 hours a day as well as own-brand versions for Aldi, M&S and Sainsbury’s.
The conditions at the factory were revealed by a whistleblower who claimed the walls, floors and machines were all covered in a black dust which combined with fat from the fryers to form a tar-like goo which clung to everything.
They also claimed the snacks also frequently fell off the conveyor belts and fell on the floor where they would sit “all over the place” often for months at a time.
The floors, which are meant to be red, were also said to be coloured black by the residue, apart from on the pathways where workers trod.
Inspectors from both Aldi and M&S have been sent to the factory in Ashby de la Zouch in Leicestershire to check on the plant after the allegations were made.
The insider told the Daily Star on Sunday: “It’s disgusting for a food factory. Everyone who works there knows it but they are scared to say anything because they’d lose their jobs.
“They have just bought over £30m of new machinery and it is absolutely covered in rubbish already.”
The unnamed source added: “The environment is filthy. It is horrible.
“The air con throws out black dust which sticks to everything because it is never cleaned.
“There are cleaners but they don’t do much. The machines run 24/7 so it’s hard for them to clean if they never stop. It needs shutting down and having everything deep cleaned.”
KP said it was now carrying out a “thorough investigation”.
The firm said in a statement: “We take food safety and hygiene very seriously and care passionately about the health and wellbeing of our colleagues.
“Our Ashby factory is regularly audited both internally and by third parties to the British Retail Consortium food safety standard and our customers. All of these audits are always unannounced and have not identified any major issues.
“The production lines are shut down weekly for an 8-10 hour deep clean and there is a clean as-you-go policy to address spillages that do happen in the manufacturing environment.
“An engaged workforce is incredibly important to us and therefore we’ve invested significantly in developing an open culture with meaningful two-way communication. We have internal processes to enable colleagues to raise concerns, and these include an anonymous whistleblowing hotline and an annual engagement survey.
“We are carrying out a thorough investigation as a result of the issues raised by this individual.”
It is believed M&S raised some minor hygiene issues after a site visit and Aldi found two faults.
One of which was around the fryer.
A spokesman for Aldi said they were looking into the claims “as a matter of urgency”.
They said: “We require all suppliers to operate to the highest possible standards and are disappointed to learn of these allegations.”
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M&S said: “Food hygiene is our top priority…and we work closely with our suppliers to ensure our high standards are maintained.
“We are fully investigating this with our supplier.”
A Sainsbury’s spokesman said: “We take the safety and quality of our products extremely seriously and are investigating with our supplier.”
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