Food safety report in Austria reveals presence of pathogens in milk and meat

The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) has published a report on food safety in Austria. Food inspection authorities carried out 41,244 inspections and 22,667 samples were tested. The inspections carried out revealed Campylobacter in raw milk, Salmonella in chicken and Hepatitis E in raw pork liver. Milk and dairy products Milk and dairy products are regularly inspected as part of official food control. In addition to labeling and their condition (smell, taste and appearance), they are also examined for pathogen contamination. Other aspects of testing include residues of hormones and veterinary drugs, as well as contamination with heavy metals or pesticides. In 2021, 286 (15.2%) of the 1885 samples tested were rejected. The most common reason was lack of labeling and/or misleading information. 34 samples (1.8%), of which 26 were cheese samples, were unfit for human consumption due to microbial contamination. Six samples (0.3%) were harmful to health due to detergent ...