Health
Duck, shirt, toy – where health risks lurk
During checks on duck meat in Germany, germs were found in a high proportion of the samples. photo
© Patrick Pleul/dpa
The wrinkle-free blouse, the puzzle game or the olives on the appetizer plate: potential health risks can also lurk in places where you don’t immediately suspect them. There are now new findings on this.
There are possible checks on various products in Germany Health risks and cases of consumer deception have been identified. The Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) provided information on the results of the official food monitoring from 2022 in Berlin on Tuesday. An overview:
Germs that can cause diarrhea were found in a high proportion of duck meat samples. The detection rate for Campylobacter on fresh duck was around 61 percent, significantly higher than on fresh chicken meat (46 percent) and turkey meat (around 11 percent). These are bacteria from the digestive tract of animals that can get onto the meat during slaughter. Campylobacter is considered the most common bacterial diarrhea pathogen in this country. The meat should only be consumed well cooked; as with poultry, strict kitchen hygiene is generally necessary. The inspectors found salmonella much less often, in only around five percent of the duck meat samples.
Carcinogenic substances in toys
It is inevitable that cardboard toys end up in the mouths of small children. The focus is therefore on certain substances that belong to the group of chloropropanols and that are classified as carcinogenic or possibly carcinogenic. The extent to which such substances can be released through intensive mouth contact was tested using almost 100 picture books and almost 70 large puzzles. For some products for under three-year-olds, assessment values were massively exceeded – BVL President Friedel Cramer describes this as “absolutely unacceptable”. Manufacturers and retailers are required. More than 80 percent of the books and puzzles adhered to the values - showing that the problem was avoidable.
Olives: Loose black and blackened olives from retailers were tested for listeria. Individual samples were extremely contaminated, said Andrea Luger, head of the BVL’s food safety department. Almost two percent of the approximately 360 samples contained germ levels that pose a potential health risk, it was said. Since olives are usually eaten raw, the BVL advises sensitive groups such as pregnant women, immunocompromised women and senior citizens to avoid loose blackened olives. Listeriosis is a dangerous disease. Meningitis and blood poisoning could occur, and in affected pregnant women this could result in miscarriages and stillbirths.
Wrinkle-free, but carcinogenic
Non-iron fashion: To ensure that shirts or blouses remain as wrinkle-free as possible, formaldehyde resins are added to some fibers. When worn, formaldehyde can be released through body heat and evaporation – “a substance that is considered a probable carcinogen and can cause allergic skin reactions,” it said. Almost six percent of the approximately 190 samples exceeded the specified concentration limit, and formaldehyde was detectable in around 45 percent. The experts recommend: Always wash such items of clothing thoroughly before wearing them for the first time.
Sometimes squid rings are less about health risks and more about cases of deception. A control result shows that these often contain too high a proportion of breading. 205 squid products were checked. About every third product had too much breading: This means that the proportion of inexpensive coating was more than 60 percent. In addition, in some cases there is incorrect labeling, as it was said. For example, there are products in which the rings are not created by cutting tubes crosswise. Some of them are made from finely chopped squid and binding agents.
Online menus: People with allergies should be particularly careful when ordering. The information on allergens such as wheat, egg or milk online is often still insufficient. The authorities found violations of allergen labeling at every second of the approximately 1,270 businesses inspected last year, for example in pizza, pasta, bread, mayonnaise and cream sauces. Violations regarding the declaration of additives were also common.