Work on low fat spread to resume

Work to make a low fat spread at a Shropshire factory could resume by the end of this week, after production was halted and two million tubs recalled because of mould contamination.

But Dairy Crest share prices slipped by two per cent today, after the firm announced the £1 million recall at the weekend.

The company said tubs of Clover could be rolling off the production lines at its factory in Crudgington, Telford, by the end of this week, after a major clean-up operation is completed.

The company ordered the tubs to be removed from supermarket shelves after 17 people complained of feeling sick after eating the spread. The firm has said the mould was not harmful.

But the recall has already seen the group's shares fall from an all-time high of 700p reached last week as investors reacted to the news. The company fears several hundred tubs have been accidentally mixed with a mould most commonly found in blue cheese such as Stilton.

Nicole Lander, Dairy Crest communications director, said: "Production could start as early as the end of this week.

"The mould has been caused by spores in the air that are naturally present. Somehow some spores have got into the atmosphere, into the sterile environment, and got into the tubs."

All sizes of Clover tubs are affected, as well as all best before dates up to August 10.