Kismet Kebabs has sought to distance its current management from the circumstances surrounding a £500,000 fine for mis-selling lamb kebabs, saying the offences relate to a period more than five years ago when the company was under different leadership.
In a company statement responding to a court decision following an investigation by Swansea Council’s trading standards team in late 2020 and early 2021, the Essex-based manufacturer said: “The matter relates to historical events that occurred over five years ago and concerns a period when the company operated under different leadership.
“Whilst the court proceedings have only recently concluded, it is important to recognise that the matters in question relate to historical events relating to labelling issues, where no harm was determined and do not reflect the standards, systems, management structure, or operational controls that exist within the business today.”
Kismet points out that over the past several years the business has undertaken substantial investment, restructuring, and continuous improvement across all areas of the organisation, with the statement adding: “The company has successfully achieved and maintained BRCGS Certification for the past three years and has also maintained BRCGS Module 11: Meat Supply Chain Assurance accreditation for the past two years. These independently audited standards demonstrate our ongoing commitment to food safety, quality, legality, traceability, supplier assurance, and operational excellence.
“Today, the business operates under a robust governance framework supported by comprehensive quality management systems, strict supplier approval procedures, enhanced product integrity controls, regular independent audits, and continuous staff training programmes. These measures ensure that our operations meet the highest standards expected by customers, regulators, suppliers and partners.”
It goes on to state that the company remains financially stable and fully operational, with 120 dedicated staff, and that its day-to-day operations “continue as normal, and there has been no disruption to production, customer service, or supply chain activities”.
It concludes by saying it greatly values the trust and support that its partners continue to place in Kismet Kebabs and that “the business today is significantly different from the business of more than five years ago, and we remain fully committed to transparency, compliance, continuous improvement, and responsible business practices”.
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