The State Office for Health and Food Safety has issued food, cosmetics and everyday consumer goods in Bavaria with a good certificate: In 2020, only 0.2 percent of the products examined had to be complained about because of health risks, in 2019 it was 0.4 percent. This emerges from a new double annual report that LGL President Walter Jonas presented to the State Parliament Environment Committee on Thursday.
Beyond possible health risks, however, the LGL complained about a large number of products, for example due to labeling deficiencies or deficiencies in composition and quality – overall, the complaint rate was 6.2 percent (2019) and 5.8 percent (2020). The number of samples examined in the first Corona year 2020 fell from just under 77,000 to just under 61,000 due to the pandemic.
An overview of some specific research results and topics: Children’s foods: Specifically, the LGL examined whether so-called children’s foods (such as fruit juices, mueslis, special dairy products or baked goods) are actually particularly suitable for children – with a clear answer: no. The children’s foods examined generally had sugar, fat and salt contents comparable to those of the corresponding “normal” products. “Many parents buy products advertised as food for children on the assumption that these products are particularly suitable and healthy for their children. However, no particular added value can be derived from children’s foods from the examined nutrient contents,” said Jonas.
Food supplements: The number of these products in Bavaria has increased more than tenfold over the past ten years. Most recently, however, the complaint rate was relatively high, 16 percent in 2019 and 22 percent in 2020. The majority of the complaints related to labeling deficiencies in the form of inadmissible advertising – for example “Protects against viruses” in addition to the depiction of a coronavirus.
Internet trade: In 2019 and 2020, the LGL each examined more than 200 samples of products purchased via the Internet, including food and consumer goods. There were high complaint rates (2019: 39 percent, 2020: 46 percent) mainly due to missing or insufficient labeling of products. Specific example: In 2019, a third of the samples of anti-stress balls (squeezys) were rejected because they were not labeled.
PFOA: In the Altötting district, many people are exposed to the chemical PFOA to an above-average extent – so far, however, there are no concrete indications of the more frequent ineffectiveness of corona vaccinations. So far, it has not been possible to determine that more vaccination breakthroughs have taken place in the region, said Jonas. He was responding to media reports about the concerns of the residents there. But Jonas announced more extensive research on the subject. Specifically, antibody determinations are to be offered there. For a long time, PFOA was used legally by chemical companies not far from Altötting – this is why the drinking water in the region was contaminated with it for a long time.