Lidl has launched legal action against welfare group Open Cages over an alleged “defamatory” investigation connecting its fresh chicken to antibiotic-resistant “superbugs”.
It comes after The Times ran a story about the animal welfare group’s probe into 40 fresh chicken products sold in five of Lidl’s UK stores under its flagship Birchwood British chicken brand.
The group claimed that independent tests run by a German lab showed 58% of the chicken lines contained multi-resistant bacteria (ESBL or MRSA), while faecal bacteria e.coli was found on 47.5% of products and listeria on 30%.
However, the supermarket told The Grocer there were discrepancies in the welfare group’s claims, and that it “cannot accept Open Cages defaming our company in this way and are now left with no choice but to pursue legal action”.
In particular, the grocery retailer pointed out concern with the efficacy of tests and methodology, as well as lack of detail on results and context of comparison with Lidl’s rivals.
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Lidl told the publication: “We work closely with our suppliers and a multitude of industry partners, aligning our policies with the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance (RUMA) and the Food Industry Initiative on Antimicrobials to ensure the responsible and RUMA-recommended use of antibiotics, while ensuring animal welfare remains a priority.”
It stated that testing also showed there had been no deviations outside legal levels over the past 12 months, Lidl pointed out, “and no concerns have been raised to us by any regulatory bodies on this topic”.
“It’s therefore evident and extremely concerning Open Cages continues to disseminate false and inaccurate information, with the apparent aim of both scaremongering and misleading the public,” added the retailer.
However Open Cages CEO and founder Connor Jackson told Grocery Gazette: “We haven’t heard anything regarding legal action other than what has been said publicly. If any further information comes we’ll take a look and consult with our lawyers.”
CEO & Co-founder of Open Cages comments: “We haven’t heard anything regarding legal action other than what has been said publicly. If any further information comes we’ll take a look and consult with our lawyers.”
It is not the first time Lidl has come under scrutiny from the welfare group. Earlier this year, Lidl was one of the supermarkets exposed for selling chickens that show skin excrement burns, or hock marks.
However, earlier this year Lidl announced it was to improve its chicken welfare standards by increasing space allocating to its own-label fresh chicken by 20% above current industry standards.
Lidl has been contacted for comment.
