Mudchute Farm food gets all-clear

Experts tested a sample of meat from a cow reared at Mudchute and a large number of eggs, and sent the green-light to the farm on Monday (December 14).

CEO Andrew Johnston said: "The period of testing has been something of a worry for us all and I am delighted that the results have come back giving us a clean bill of health on animal produce."

Mr Johnson was sent a certificate of analysis by Eurofins Laboratories, which is the approved public analyst of Tower Hamlets Council.

The Kitchen resumed the use of farm produce on Tuesday (December 15), but samples will continue to be taken from the site until tomorrow (December 19). The farm will close for the festive season from December 23 to January 3, but it confirmed staff would continue working with the council to "ensure that all is well at Mudchute".

Tower Hamlets Council began testing after it discovered "small amounts of contaminants" across 15 locations in the farm and neighbouring allotments, later revealed to be lead and arsenic with traces of copper. It was assured by the Health Protection Agency last month that the contaminants were "not likely to present any immediate health risks".

Allotment holders met with council representatives earlier this month to discuss their concerns over the sampling process. The council has pledged to drill only to depths of between 30cm and 80cm. Drilling to depths of up to six metres will take place on the site but away from plots.

It will take several months for results to be fully analysed. But even if the land is declared unsafe, contaminated land officer Yolande Macklin assured plotholders that it "would be cleaned up to a certain criteria for allotment use".