Chicken products with salmonella, found by ANPC in several well-known stores in Bucharest, Ilfov and Vrancea.

The National Authority for Consumer Protection (ANPC) announces, through a press release, that it is in the midst of a verification campaign of all chicken meat products on sale in stores in Romania.

As a result of the control actions carried out, with regard to classic chicken meat, sold in the country, samples were taken and sent to the authorized analysis laboratories, in the field, on the territory of Romania.

“A first part of the results of these analyzes reveals the following aspects:

– the samples taken in Vrancea county, from chicken organs from Agricola International SA, sold in the Lidl store in Focșani, were confirmed with Salmonella Infantis
– samples taken in the Penny warehouse in Ștefăneștii de Jos commune, Ilfov county, from “Hanul Boieresc” brand chicken and chicken organs, produced by Vanbet SRL, were confirmed with Salmonella Infantis and Salmonella Enteritidis
– samples taken in the Penny Colentina store, in sector 2 of the Capital, from “Hanul Boieresc” brand chicken, produced by Vanbet SRL, were confirmed with Salmonella Infantis and Salmonella Enteritidis
– samples taken in the Penny Bucharesti Noi store, in sector 1 of the Capital, from “Hanul Boieresc” brand chicken, produced by Vanbet SRL, were confirmed with Salmonella
– samples taken in the Metro Băneasa store, in sector 1 of the Capital, from “Coco Rico” brand chicken, produced by Aaylex SRL, were confirmed with Salmonella
– samples taken in the Metro Băneasa store, in sector 1 of the Capital, from chicken meat, produced by Agricola Internazionale SRL, were confirmed with Salmonella”, the ANPC reported on Monday.

Food poisoning caused by Salmonella Enteritidis is manifested by gastrointestinal disorders, often accompanied by fever, in the first 48 hours after consumption.

The commissioners took several measures.

“We note that, in the case of the identification of Salmonella spp. as a food safety criterion in food samples of animal origin, according to European legislation, the following measures will be applied:

1. In case of detection of Salmonella spp., in the samples collected according to Regulation (EC) no. 2.073/2005, with subsequent amendments, from products of animal origin and Salmonella enteritidis and/or Salmonella typhimurium, in samples of fresh poultry meat, which are found at the level of retail units, they are declared unfit for human consumption, are retained officially and withdrawn from human consumption.

2. In case of detection of Salmonella enteritidis and/or Salmonella typhimurium in samples of fresh poultry meat and Salmonella spp. (all types of Salmonella), in other samples of animal products, collected according to Regulation (EC) no. 2.073/2005, with subsequent amendments, from batches of fresh poultry meat, respectively animal products, which have not been delivered to retail units, with the exception of food warehouses, they will not be intended for sale to the final consumer until after that have been subjected to a heat treatment to ensure the elimination of this risk, in an authorized sanitary-veterinary processing unit, followed by the performance of a microbiological control for each manufacturing batch, certifying that the batch is microbiologically appropriate, when there is no sufficient guarantees that the heat treatment has eliminated the hazard.

European Regulations no. 178/2002, 853/2004, 625/2017, 2073/2005, which legislates the field of food safety, from feed to the finished product, states that the microbiological identification of Salmonella spp. in fresh poultry meat/fresh meat products bird, is non-compliant, being an indicator of lack of food safety and involves corrective measures according to specific legislation. The presented legislative provisions are harmonized in the national legislation by the Veterinary Health and Food Safety Authority, which is responsible for their application and which was informed both by the laboratories that detected Salmonella bacteria in the samples presented by ANPC, and by our institution, directly”, ANPC also transmitted.

Fines were also imposed.

“As a result of taking samples of the products suspected of being infected, the ANPC commissioners have applied, up to this point, contravention fines in the amount of over 45,000 lei and temporarily stopped the sale of the batches of problem products, located in the checked premises, after receiving the results, the confirmed ones were directed to destruction”, stated ANPC.
The institution will continue the checks in the next period as well.