Manufacturers warned about rubber seals

Although the source of the rubber contamination associated with the recalls of Yeo Valley’s yogurts supplied to Asda, Co-op, Sainsbury, Tesco and Waitrose was not disclosed, MacLellan Rubber claimed food firms needed to ensure their suppliers of rubber seals and gaskets used the correct materials to avoid contamination.

Directors at MacLellan Rubber claimed the problems experienced by Yeo Valley could be “just the tip of the iceberg”.​

Simon Winfield (pictured right) and Andrew Onions (left) believed that less than 10% of the rubber used in gaskets and seals was purchased from the UK or Europe.

This meant the vast majority was less likely to meet the Food Contact Regulation EU 1935:2004, 2023/26 and the US Food and Drug Administration regulation FDA 21 CFR Part 177, they claimed.

They argued that while larger businesses ensured their processes were compliant, there was less enforcement further down the supply chain.

Financial and reputational issues​

This could cause serious financial and reputational issues if pieces of rubber/polymer were found in food products, they warned.

“You only have to look at the example ​[of the yogurt recalls] to see the negative publicity it caused and that didn’t even go into detail on the cost of the recall and any compensation that might follow,”​ said Winfield.

“There has definitely been a decline in the quality of imported rubber sheeting from the Far East and Asia.​

“Independent tests have shown they contain high levels of chemicals that leach from the material or are released when temperatures are raised.”​

Winfield added that being ‘food safe’ was a legal obligation and manufacturers shouldn’t assume because the material their suppliers were using was white or blue that it met this requirement.

“They need to dig deeper into the supply chain and obtain the necessary documentation and evidence to prove compliance,”​ he argued. ​

Decisions based on price​

“The big issue is that the people involved in purchasing are making their decisions based on price and not on quality or compliance.”​

MacLellan Rubber is a specialist in the manufacture and distribution of polymer and rubber sheets and rolls used for sealing.

It has just signed an agreement that ensures all of its food-grade rubber sheet material is manufactured within Europe, sourced from European compounders and 100% batch tested.

This guarantees full raw material traceability and compliance to all of the relevant quality standards, claimed the firm.

“We are trying to educate the major food processors and their supply chains that ‘cheap imports’ are not the answer long-term,”​ said Onions. “The material deteriorates rapidly under heat or when cleaning fluids are passed along it.”​

Meanwhile, there was no suggestion that the recent recalls were linked to imported materials.