Milk-Alarm and-meat scandal: Why the food recalls, to roll over
Since the year 2012 has doubled the number of food alerts in Germany, more than. Especially in the case of milk and meat products, the cases are piling up. FOCUS Online explains what it is and what needs to change in the future, to ensure the safety of our food.
Sausage, meat, dairy products: In recent years, manufacturers from languages in Germany, more and more food warnings. While in 2012, 83 call-backs were reported, the number has increased in the past year to 186 cases.
Until last Friday, were released in the year 2019 already 160 warnings. The statistical evaluation of the Federal office for consumer protection and food safety showed.
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In the Monitoring and control of our food and great weaknesses, as consumer advocates and politicians are unanimous.
More and more Food recalls – why is that?
A vulnerability is, according to Daniela Krehl, technical adviser for food and nutrition of the consumer Bavaria, already in the publication and dissemination of warnings and recalls. The evaluation of the competent Federal statistical office show.
“The Figures of the Federal office for consumer protection and food safety calls originating from the website Lebensmittelwarnung.de – a Federal-wide Portal. The Monitoring of the food, however, is the responsibility of the States. Until there is a warning lands on the Website, it can lead to delays,“ explains Krehl.
You believed that in the past, the manufacturer, the Portal is often not used. Only by the past food scandals and public pressure, increasingly messages via the Portal, to be published.
Also have increased in the last years, the sensitivity of manufacturers and authorities, as a result, the rising Figures could well explain. “Traders and producers are now very, very careful,” says the food expert. Nevertheless, cases such as the Wilke-scandal showed that this caution is not sufficient for a long time.
The Federation of German consumer organisations see in several Places the need for action. The food safety experts are calling for more powers for inspectors, as well as a regular publication of inspection reports.
So why were there not, in the case of Wilke directly in a callback?
Why the callback was published in the case of Wilke only after several months, can not explain the food expert. The authorities should have weeks before a Listeria-suspected knew. According to the Website of the Hessian consumer protection Ministry, the authorities of the competent district had already noted at the end of August “significant hygienic shortcomings (in General, hygiene, Bauhygiene)”.
The current sausage scandal lay again open to the weaknesses in the food control. The education takes too long, the information is poor. “If a health hazard exists, must be done immediately, a recall,” says Daniela Krehl. “The delay in the case of Wilke is not from our point of view at all.”
In other cases, where it comes to hygienic defects or disgusting conditions in factories, weighing the authorities, the health and consumer protection, according to Krehl against the protection of the interests of the company.
Callbacks should be done, if particularly sensitive consumer groups, such as children or the elderly could be at risk potentially. Also they should be published, if it is not harmful to health, but disgusting products, such as rotten meat.
“But if such a health risk exists as in the case of Wilke, it weighed nothing. Because action must be taken immediately: The production must be stopped, the population will be informed and the recall is released,“ says the food expert.
How is a food control?
The process of food inspection is time-consuming. “With the raw materials, there is a risk analysis,” explains Daniela Krehl. “This shows all the processes of production. This also applies to the personal hygiene and the control of the machines.“
The food expert, according to the manufacturer, are required to minimize the risk of contamination with foreign bodies. The methods of the simple Seven, Filters or magnets ranged up to complex devices, the use of x-rays, microwaves, lasers or ultrasound of foreign bodies of various kinds can detect.
“The stress to exclude germs, many manufacturers their food also in laboratories investigating,” explains Krehl. By operating and production controls under the official control of foodstuffs sought to monitor whether the manufacturers have complied with in the production of all food regulations.
Certain foods, which have not yet been sold are not properly, the producer of this back out of the trade. “Then one speaks of a silent recall,” explains Krehl, “of which the consumers get nothing.” The manufacturer will inform only the dealers take the goods from the shelves and prevent you get in the sale.
“A duty to withdraw if the health products suitable to be harmful or not for human consumption, for example, are spoiled,” says the food expert.
“It is a product already on the market and it has been sold already, must be done by the manufacturer or authorities immediately to a recall. All the affected foods are removed from the trade, and also provide warnings to consumers published,“ explains Krehl.
However, not only the manufacturer controls his goods. According to the Federal Ministry of food and agriculture, there is in all the relevant countries ‘ ministries study programs. This carry out food surveillance and veterinary offices in the cities and counties.
This procedure takes much too long, showed the current scandals once more. A change in the structures in the food monitoring is consumer protection agencies that, therefore, inevitable.
Under the title “consequences of the sausage scandal drag” published by the consumer advice centres and the Federal Association of the three claims:
- Food control organize new
- Traceability in production and trading improve
- Fast and comprehensive information to ensure
The consumer advocates make it clear that the responsibility for Monitoring should be at the country level. In the event of a crisis, the Federal government no longer would have to take over the coordination and responsibility of a municipal food monitoring as currently exists, at the time of the according to.
In addition, it is important that authorities callbacks could perform in the future.
To facilitate the organisation of official controls, should companies use a centralized digital System, each stage of their supply chains. Also, it is important that consumers returning calls and information would be submitted quicker.
More monitoring of pressure is not possible: control your call for more staff
The German Federal Association of Food inspectors in Germany also calls for more checkers in to the authorities. Compared to the “world on Sunday”, said the Chairman of Anja Tittes: “With the existing staff, we create only about 45 percent of the necessary controls.”
Therefore, more Monitoring is not possible. According to estimates, from 1500 to 2500 more examiners would be needed, the numbers had fallen each year.
You can see in the Video: milk contaminated with bacteria! Aldi, Lidl, Edeka, Kaufland, Netto start callback
FOCUS Online/Wochit you will See in the Video: milk contaminated by bacteria! Aldi, Lidl, Edeka, Kaufland, Netto start callback
