Portuguese Official Seize Unsafe Meat, Fish

Authorities in Portugal have carried out a series of recent operations to crack down on businesses not complying with food rules, Food Safety News (FSN) reported.

Photo Insert: The Food and Economic Security Authority (ASAE) helped to seize 500 kilograms of fish and meat products with limited traceability at a cold storage facility this past month.

The Food and Economic Security Authority (ASAE) helped to seize 500 kilograms of fish and meat products with limited traceability at a cold storage facility this past month. The inspection was to verify compliance with food storage and handling. Products were destroyed after being sent for analysis and criminal proceedings were opened.

A separate visit to a cold store in Porto resulted in 650 kilograms of meat products being blocked because of a lack of traceability.

After analysis, 250 kilograms was destroyed but the other 400 kilograms was considered safe to be given to animals and was donated to a zoo. Another joint inspection in Quarteira looked at the sale of fresh fish on public roads.

A total of 144 kilograms of different types of fish were confiscated because of concerns about temperature control, packaging and storage conditions. Six administrative proceedings were started for placing fishery products on the market without complying with the relevant rules

Operation Mercados Municipais focused on fish and bivalve mollusks. More than 120 operators were checked and five were non-compliant because of labeling issues or a lack of information on products. Overall, 334 kilos of fish products were seized.

Also in August, ASAE officials uncovered an unlicensed slaughterhouse in Évora. Animals were being slaughtered illegally at a site with poor hygiene conditions and they were not subject to the mandatory health checks to screen for diseases.

Meat was then sold to a local establishment. Inspectors stopped operations at the unregistered slaughter site and seized 500 kilograms of meat products plus related equipment.

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