Two staff die after Covid outbreak at M&S salad factory as bosses face calls to shut down plant

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Two staff die after Covid outbreak at M&S salad factory as bosses face calls to shut down plant to contain soaring infections with one in 10 workers sick

  • Fresh food supplier Bakkavor have announced two workers have been killed
  • The site in Tilmanstone, near Dover, Kent, have nearly one in ten staff positive
  • Union GMB have urged bosses to shut down the site to stop the Covid-19 spread 

By Dan Sales For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

Two workers at a factory making Marks & Spencer salads have died following a coronavirus outbreak. 

Fresh food supplier Bakkavor has been hit so hard by the virus almost one in 10 have tested positive with Covid-19.

The site in Tilmanstone, near Dover, Kent, has rolled out tests for all staff in an attempt to try and contain the outbreak.

But the GMB union has urged more decisive action and asked bosses to shut down the plant until the virus’s spread is halted.  

Bakkavor have been urged to shut down the plant to stop the virus from spreading among staff

Last week 48 workers tested positive for coronavirus after two colleagues died.

It came after a further 17 workers had already suffered Covid-19 and returned to work.

The salad factory has continued to open at a reduced capacity to provide M&S with its fresh food.

Philip West, business director salads at Bakkavor, said: ‘In recent weeks we have lost two of our Tilmanstone team to Covid-19, a tragedy that has hit us all hard.

Salad made at the factory

M & S salad made at the factory

The factory makes salad for M & S stores throughout the UK and has been urged to take action

‘This site is in a top tier Covid zone and as a community we are all working hard to limit the spread of this terrible virus and to follow PHE guidelines fully in and out of the workplace.

‘I would like to thank our colleagues for their incredibly strong support for the on-site testing programme and we will continue to support those colleagues isolating at home.

‘As with the national picture, any scenario of mass-testing will result in more cases initially, however this process will also support a reduction in the transmission of the virus.

‘We continue to work closely with Public Health England South East on next steps and to ensure the safety of the site for our staff.’

M&S has been contacted for comment. 

Chilled and damp interior with ultraviolet light: Why meat plants are a hotbed for coronavirus outbreaks

The virus thrives in cold, damp and indoor environments, particularly on cool surfaces.

The lack of a breeze or ultraviolet light from the sun means the moisture remains and can’t be killed off inside food processing plants.

Furthermore, social distancing is particularly difficult in workplaces with a busy production line meaning the virus is likely to spread more easily.

Loud machinery also forces people to raise their voices and researchers say situations where people have to shout result in an increased risk of projecting the virus to others.

It’s not just in the UK where a trend has been seen, either, after hundreds tested positive in a Berlin slaughterhouse, while a wet market in Wuhan is believed to have been at the heart of a huge number of infections early on in the crisis.  

A supermarket spokesperson previously said: ‘We work closely with all our suppliers to ensure they are following government guidelines.’

The GMB Union called on the factory to shut until the outbreak can be contained.

Organiser Frank Macklin said: ‘Once this has been done, the factory can reopen, with staff returning to work safe in the knowledge every step has been taken to ensure they are working in the safest possible environment.’

Food processing plants have been hotbeds for coronavirus outbreaks across the country.

An outbreak at the abattoir Cranswick Country Foods in Norfolk, gave the tiny village of Watton the highest coronavirus rate in England last month.

Recently there was as many as 40 active outbreaks at food factories across the UK.

Prof Lawrence Young, University of Warwick virologist, said factories pose a complex mix of issues that can result in higher transmission.

He said as well as the virus remaining on surfaces longer in the cold, it can be difficult to socially distance in factories.

Seasonal workers often live together in shared houses.

Prof Young said: ‘This virus survives longer in colder environments – both in the air and on surfaces, so there is an increased risk of transmission.

‘These types of viruses have a fatty membrane that is very efficiently destroyed by soap but it stabilises at about 4C.’