Comigel
Comigel S.A.S [1] is a privately owned French food processing company, head quartered in Metz.
History
Founded in 1972 in Luxembourg, it moved its headquarters to Metz in 1976. The company was owned by Perkins Foods Holdings Ltd of the United Kingdom from 1991, and then purchased by French-based private equity firm Céréa Capital in 2007. The leading directors of Comigel are Antoine Sage, Erick Lehagre, Gilles Sicard, Antoine Peyronnet and Michel Chabanel of Céréa Capital.[2]
After the purchase of Atlantique Alimentaire in 2010, employing 240 and based in La Rochelle, group turnover reached 100 million euro, on production of 30,000 tons of food.[3]
Operations
Comigel produces mainly frozen ready-to-eat food for the European market, and is a white label provider to different food and retaillers brands of frozen fast food and desserts.
At the Tavola factory in Capellen, Luxembourg, 200 employees produce 16,000 tonnes annually of frozen ready-meals. These are then sold to retaillers including Auchan and Cora in France, while a third are exported to customers including Findus, and Tesco in the UK. One quarter of the factory's output goes to restaurants in schools, colleges, hospitals, retirement homes, company canteens and public service restaurants.[4]
Horse meat contamination
In February 2013, it was reported that a lasagne product that Comigel produces in Luxembourg on behalf of Findus and Aldi for distribution in Great Britain,Ireland and Sweden,[5] was found to contain up to 100% horse meat instead of the 100% beef as declared in the list of ingredients, in 11 out of 18 samples in an FSA check.[6] Comigel claimed that the meat supplier was Spanghero,[7] a firm owned by Lur Berri.[8][9]
Findus announced that they will accept no more meat from Comigel, and stopped further deliveries of the product in question. On 8 February 2013, Findus Sweden announced a recall of its 375g packs of ready-made lasagne (code 63957) and published a contact number for customers who wanted to return the products they had already purchased.[10]
Supermarket chain Aldi announced on 8 February 2013 that it would be withdrawing Today's Special Frozen Beef Lasagne and Today's Special Frozen Spaghetti Bolognese, products both sourced and supplied from Comigel, after tests found the meat content to contain between 30% and 100% horse meat.
References
- ^ http://www.comigel.com/
- ^ http://www.cereagestion.com/cerea_gestion_equipe.html
- ^ http://www.agraalimentation.fr/comigel-reprend-atlantique-alimentaire-art278503-15.html
- ^ Kim Willsher (8 February 2013). "Horsemeat scandal: Comigel is huge exporter of French frozen meals". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
- ^ http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/horse-meat-lasagne-factory-revealed-1595234
- ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/07/findus-beef-lasagne-horse-meat
- ^ http://www.rupertbates.com/2008/08/spanghero-legendary-family-of-french-rugby/
- ^ "Les lasagnes à la viande de cheval déclenchent un scandale européen". Libération 8 February 2013. http://www.liberation.fr/monde/2013/02/08/du-cheval-roumain-dans-les-lasagnes-findus_880511
- ^ http://www.companieslist.co.uk/05301923-lur-berri-uk-limited
- ^ http://www.mynewsdesk.com/se/pressroom/findus/pressrelease/view/findus-aaterkallar-1-portion-lasagne-375-gram-artikelnummer-63957-835305