A Covid-19 outbreak has hit the Nestlé factory, sparking "widespread testing" at the Fawdon site after almost 30 staff caught the virus.
The factory is one of the biggest in Newcastle. Around 600 staff work there.
A Nestlé spokesperson confirmed 29 staff had tested positive since October 16. That equates to around five per cent of all workers.
“If a case is confirmed, we undertake rigorous contact tracing to ensure we can isolate any other individuals who may have been in close contact in the workplace," added a spokesperson for the confectionery giant.
"We have also introduced the additional measure of the mandatory wearing of disposable masks across the factory. Keeping people safe remains our top priority.”
Newcastle City Council confirmed that an Outbreak Control Team would meet on Tuesday to address the current cases.
Public Health England is heading the team, which also includes staff from the council and Nestlé.
Management at the factory are understood to be monitoring the outbreak closely as part of that, although widespread testing - which some firms offer - is understood to not be in place currently at the Fawdon site.
The Rowan Drive factory is Nestlé's second largest in the country. It produces around 40,000 tonnes of confectionery each year, including Matchmakers, Milkybars and Caramac bars.
"We are working closely with authorities including Public Health England and continue to follow all advice to reduce the risk of infection," added a Nestlé spokesperson.
Our factories already have strict hygiene measures in place and we have issued extra guidance and implemented additional measures across all of our sites since the very beginning of the pandemic.
