Food safety authorities in Greece have seized more than six tons of meat believed to be unsuitable for human consumption.
Inspectors raided a packaging plant in Ilion suburbs of western Athens and traced deliveries to at least 20 restaurants the region of Attica, authorities announced on Tuesday.
The Greater Athens regional authority said the crackdown started from a plant in the suburb of Ilion.
Inspectors found that the company lacked the necessary operating permits and approval from food safety authorities, while just over six tons of meat found on the premises had no legal documentation.
Products from the plant were traced to 20 food outlets across the Greater Athens region, where a further 150 kilograms of meat were confiscated.
Label below: Handmade Souvlaki (…)
After the new seizures, the total quantity of meat products withdrawn amounted to 6.2 tons.
At the same time, as stated in the announcement, the specific business was not included in the list of approved establishments of Food Safety Authority (EFET).
During the inspection of the cold storage rooms, 6,047 kilograms of products were identified and seized as they were deemed unsuitable for placing on the market, as they did not bear the legal marking or had invalid codes.
A competent three-member committee have been formed to examine the imposition of administrative sanctions.
The Governor of Attica, Nikos Hardalias, stated that “the services of the Attica Region protected public health through a strict control process”, underlining that the controls and the imposition of sanctions will continue.
“Absolutely zero tolerance for those who are unscrupulous and play dirty games with the safety and family budget of citizens”, the Governor stated adding that the controls will continue throughout the supply chain.
PS they should intensify food safety controls indeed … yesterday as 9 people – among them children – were hospitalized with salmonella symptoms a few days ago, after having consumed chicken in a grill diner also in a suburb of western Athens. This is the latest incident of salmonella infection after chicken consumption in the country in the last two weeks, after an outbreak in Larissa, Central Greece, and Kardista further in the North.
Pictures: via Greater Athens authority
