Councils chose E.coli butcher despite complaints

Feb 27 2008 by Madeleine Brindley, Western Mail

SERIOUS long-standing complaints about E.coli butcher William Tudor were ignored as councils twice awarded him the contract to supply schools across South Wales.

The E.coli public inquiry yesterday heard that the same complaints about the quality of produce from John Tudor & Son were raised in 1998 and 2002 – when the Bridgend-based firm won the £500,000-a-year supply contract.

Similar concerns about the standard of meat had been made by schools in Caerphilly as early as 1996 – almost 10 years before the E.coli outbreak which killed five-year-old Deri schoolboy Mason Jones and infected more than 150 others.

Caerphilly Council used a different meat supplier between 1998 and 2005, even though it was part of a joint tendering process with Rhondda Cynon Taf, Bridgend and Merthyr Tydfil councils, which was led by RCT’s contracts manager Dave Evans.

Marcia Lewis, the catering contracts manager for Caerphilly Council, told the E.coli public inquiry that in 1998 there was “clear blue water” between the alternative supplier – named only as ABC, based in Newport – and William Tudor’s business.

John Tudor & Son had previously supplied Caerphilly schools with up to 900kg of cooked, sliced meats a week between 1996 and 1998. There had been 40 complaints about the produce – one referred to blood in the centre of a cooked meat joint – and concerns about the way such issues were dealt with by the family-run company, which was based at Bridgend Industrial Estate.

Details of the Caerphilly complaints about Tudor were passed on to the joint meeting of catering managers which awarded the 1998 contract. Mrs Lewis said the other councils “would have been aware why we chose to go with the other company”.

An internal email from Mrs Lewis during the 2002 tendering process noted that Tudor was still supplying “inferior products” and that Rhondda Cynon Taf Council had received 56 complaints about its produce, many similar to those Caerphilly had received four years previously.

Mrs Lewis told the E.coli public inquiry, “It struck me as shock that he [Tudor] was still having issues the same as we had experienced back in 1998.”

Again Caerphilly chose to go with the alternative supplier. Mrs Lewis said, “Quality was a major factor.”

The other three councils renewed their contract with Tudor, who offered the “lowest cost overall”.

ABC announced it would not extend its contract with Caerphilly in 2005. Although the council wanted to go out to tender again, it was told by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council it would have to use John Tudor & Son or drop out of the joint tendering process altogether.

Mrs Lewis said, “We asked if there were any complaints that we should be aware of and we were told no, they were happy with the service provided. It was on these grounds that we stayed within the framework.”

But the inquiry heard that Bridgend Council had received a sudden increase in complaints from its schools about the quality and delivery of Tudor’s meat in January, May and June 2005. These included complaints about “funny colour” cooked ham, smelly turkey and missing or short use-by dates on packages of meat.

Norma Griffiths, group manager of Bridgend Council’s school meals service, said she was so concerned about the influx of complaints she even researched alternative suppliers. By the summer of 2005, “the service wasn’t improving, it was getting poorer,” she said.

James Eadie, the inquiry’s senior counsel, asked Elizabeth Lucas, Caerphilly’s head of procurement, that if she had known about these issues, whether the council would have contracted John Tudor & Son in June 2005.

Ms Lucas, who said the first time she heard about the Bridgend complaints was at yesterday’s inquiry hearing, replied, “If these issues had come up it is possible there may have been a different outcome on behalf of Caerphilly.”

The public inquiry will continue today hearing evidence about the school procurement process in Rhondda Cynon Taf

A catalogue of meat complaints exposed
John Tudor & Son provided Caerphilly schools and meals on wheels services with meat between 1996 and 1998.

But during this time – almost 10 years before the E.coli outbreak – the council documented 40 complaints about its quality and missing or late deliveries.

The complaints included:

St Helen’s Primary School kitchen said chicken “looked like beef and was not very nice” in September 1996.

Tir y Berth meals on wheels service complained “uncooked cooked pork delivered” in November 1996

A bug was found in turkey delivered to Lower Rhymney Infants in December 1996.

The cook in charge of St Martin’s Comprehensive School kitchen said there was a “strange taste” on ham, in February 1997.

Plastic was found after Tir y Berth meals on wheels service cooked 140lb of minced lamb in March 1997.

Meat delivered to Tirphil Primary School in June 1997 was not cooked properly.

A 30lb delivery of pork at Heolddu Comprehensive School contained 6.5lb of fat in October 1997.

Aberbargoed Infants School kitchen said, in November 1997, “Pork delivered was not smelling very nice. Did not give it to the children.”

St Gwladys Junior School kitchen had to throw out 5lb of pork because it was very bloody in April 1998.

Roast pork delivered to Glyngaer Village Infants School was “orange in colour and would not slice” in April 1998.

Blood was found in the middle of a joint of roast pork delivered to Bedwas Infant School in May 1998.

Cooked lamb supplied to Rhymney meals on wheels was “not of good quality” and contained a large amount of fat, gristle and bones – 13lb of 74lb was wasted in August 1998.