The Good Food Chain has gone into liquidation just 48 hours after the FSA ended an investigation into the business over links to a major listeria outbreak.
The closure of its factory and headquarters in Stone, Staffordshire will see the loss of 125 jobs.
Production at the company was suspended on 5 June when the strain of listeria which caused the outbreak, in which five people died, was traced to its sandwiches.
On Wednesday, the FSA said it had ended its investigation into The Good Food Chain and was “reassured” that it met required standards.
However, with production having been continuously suspended for almost four weeks, the impact on the company had been “too great for the business to remain viable”, said owner and founder Martyn Corfield.
“I was absolutely devastated to hear that people had died after contracting listeriosis and have been thinking constantly about all those affected and their families over the last few weeks,” he added.
“We have been co-operating very closely with the investigating authorities, and while Wednesday’s confirmation that The Good Food Chain was not the source of the outbreak was welcome, it ultimately came too late in the day for us to get the business back on to a sustainable footing.
“I feel desperately sorry for our brilliant and hardworking staff who, through no fault of their own, now find themselves out of work. I would like to thank them for everything they have done for The Good Food Chain, and particularly for their loyalty and patience over the last few weeks.”
The disposal of the sandwich firm’s assets will be undertaken by liquidator Currie Young.
The FSA is still investigating “suppliers further up the food supply chain”, with The Good Food Chain’s former supplier North Country Cooked Meats remaining closed.
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