Why Kinnerton segregated its factory
In 1998 Kinnerton Confectionery was once given a very ‘hard time’ by a member of the public, whose child was nut allergic, for displaying the disclaimer: ‘This product may contain traces of nuts’ on one of our pre-school chocolate bars.
In essence she said: ‘How can you justify manufacturing products, specifically aimed at children, in an environment that is potentially lethal?’
We tried to counter with detail of our Good Manufacturing Practices such as: clean downs, running nut products at the end of the week etc, (all of which still necessitated the warning, because in our view, there still WAS a genuine concern) but she would have none of it. If there were no nuts in the ingredients, why couldn’t her daughter buy a milk chocolate Easter Egg, Advent Calendar, Chocolate Bar or Lollipop that was safe for the little girl to eat and just as importantly, easy for the Mother to buy because of clear and informed labeling, not a tiny disclaimer tucked away on the back of a pack mixed in with reams of other information?
We agreed to disagree, but after a few days contemplation, we decided that she was right and we were wrong. We decided to undertake an extraordinary change to our manufacturing plant that created the world’s first Nut segregated Zone in a food factory that handled nuts. We did not do this for any personal mission such as the MD’s daughter having a nut allergy, we did it simply because we believed, and still believe, that a Company selling products particularly targeted at children should produce as safely as possible. In 1999 we created our Nut Segregated Zone and though the labeling telling you about the Zone has evolved over the years, we believe that we are ever improving and ever learning about the issues of providing a chocolate that is safe for those with Nut Allergy to eat.
We want you to understand what the ‘Kinnerton Nut Safety Promise’ is, so please read on, and if you have any queries or issues, please do not hesitate to contact us, because we are genuinely happy to help.
Clive Beecham
Group Managing Director.
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