Workers at a second food factory in Cornwall are now self-isolating after an employee tested positive for the Covid-19.
A worker at the Danish Crown plant, near Bugle, tested positive for the virus after being sent home to self-isolate upon developing symptoms in the last week of September. Another employee is also isolating after being contacted by NHS Test and Trace, it has emerged.
The positive test is the latest in a number of incidents involving outbreaks at factories across the UK and comes a day after it was confirmed that about 170 workers had tested positive for Covid-19 at a the Pilgrim’s Pride pork processing operation In Pool, near Redruth.
Cornwall Council’s public health team verified that staff at had given positive test results. The factory employs about 500 people.
In Bugle, Danish Crown said that a number of workers who were in proximity to the individual who tested positive have also been sent home as a precautionary measure and they are committed to keeping their colleagues and communities safe.
Business Live’s sister site Cornwall Live has been told by staff at the factory that the number of employees sent home by the company could be as many as 12, however a spokesperson for Danish Crown declined to comment on specific numbers.
But a spokesperson for Danish Crown said: "One employee on the morning shift of the operation at Bugle has tested positive for coronavirus. They developed symptoms on Monday morning, upon which they were sent home and asked to get a test, which has come back positive.
"Immediate preventative action was taken by the company, with those identified as working near to the colleague or having extended close contact sent home to self isolate for 14 days as a precaution and preventative measure.
"Danish Crown is in contact with Cornwall Council and Public Health England who are satisfied we've taken all appropriate measures.
“We've requested daily contact to ensure immediate guidance and support to keep all our colleagues and the wider community safe and well.
"All personnel at the site were informed of the situation and we're committed to keeping our colleagues safe and well. We've stressed the importance of following guidelines both inside and out of work to colleagues to keep them, their families and friends safe."
Danish Crown Foods was formerly called the Tulip Food Company, and is behind several famous and popular brands of bacon, pepperoni and other pizza toppings, cold cuts, sausages, soups, ready meals, meatballs and canned meat.
The brands include Denmark's oldest registered trademark Tulip, Mou, GØL and Steff-Houlberg. Danish Crown Professional, formerly Tulip Foodservice, is also one of Denmark's most popular suppliers for canteens, restaurants and public institutions.
Across the UK hundreds of workers have tested positive for coronavirus at meat processing plants and abattoirs. This includes at a chicken processing site Anglesey, where more than 150 workers were infected with the virus, and plant in Wrexham and North Yorkshire. There have also been cases in food factories in Germany, France and Spain.
Scientists believe factories which are cold and damp are likely to cause a spread in infections, and noisy machinery, which may cause people to shout, may aid transmission. There is no evidence meat products are a source of infection at food factories.
