Not to be dramatic, but the UK could soon face a huge chicken shortage (2024)

A salmonella scare at a processing plant in Hull has caused hundreds of products to be recalled

Huge fan of snacking on chicken, in all its forms? Well, we’ve got frankly terrible news. Thanks to a salmonella scare at a major food processing plant, several of the UK’s biggest food chains and supermarkets are running perilously low on chicken.

The incident occurred at the Cranswick factory in Hull, which usually processes around 160 tonnes of poultry every day. The salmonella was apparently found during a routine inspection, forcing the factory to close and prompting huge numbers of products to be recalled.

The products that Cranswick fears may be contaminated are chicken goods with use-by dates of May 11, 12 and 13. In response, supermarkets Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Aldi, M&S and Waitrose have pulled chicken products from their shelves, and so have food chains Leon and Pret A Manger.

If you’ve managed to pick up chicken products from the above businesses with a relevant use-by date, the Food Standards Agency is advising you to return them or throw them away. Most are offering a full refund for returned goods.

To find out the full list of recalled products, here are links forTesco, Sainsbury’s, Aldi, M&S and Waitrose.

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• Ed Cunningham
  News Editor, Time Out UK and Time Out London

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