Meat recalled over E.coli faeces fears
Around six tonnes of hamburger and kebab meat distributed and sold across Sweden may have been contaminated by intestinal bacteria which may have been caused by animal excrement.
The meat, which has been on sale across the country for the past four months, has been found to contain traces of the potentially life-threatening E.coli bacteria.
The contaminated meat was brought to the attention of the authorities when two children fell ill in Västerås in eastern Sweden in January.
"It's one of the most severe types of food poisoning that you can suffer from," said Helena Storbjörk Windahl at the Stockholm food safety authorities to the the Aftonbladet daily.
The beef has been traced to the distributor Sven P in Stockholm, but is originally from a slaughterhouse in the Netherlands.
During the slaughter process the faeces from the animals can infect the meat.
"If there is 12 tonnes coming in then you don't take a test on every little bit. One has to take a certain number of samples," said Yvonne Björling, Sven P's CEO to the newspaper.
Of the shipment of twelve tonnes, some six tonnes have to date been sold as ground beef and made into hamburgers or kebab meat, Björling said.
The remaining six tonnes has now been recalled.
TT/The Local/pvs
Comments
See Also
The meat, which has been on sale across the country for the past four months, has been found to contain traces of the potentially life-threatening E.coli bacteria.
The contaminated meat was brought to the attention of the authorities when two children fell ill in Västerås in eastern Sweden in January.
"It's one of the most severe types of food poisoning that you can suffer from," said Helena Storbjörk Windahl at the Stockholm food safety authorities to the the Aftonbladet daily.
The beef has been traced to the distributor Sven P in Stockholm, but is originally from a slaughterhouse in the Netherlands.
During the slaughter process the faeces from the animals can infect the meat.
"If there is 12 tonnes coming in then you don't take a test on every little bit. One has to take a certain number of samples," said Yvonne Björling, Sven P's CEO to the newspaper.
Of the shipment of twelve tonnes, some six tonnes have to date been sold as ground beef and made into hamburgers or kebab meat, Björling said.
The remaining six tonnes has now been recalled.
TT/The Local/pvs
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.