Foodborne salmonellosis is on the rise again.

Attentive RADAR readers have already noticed: in the EU Rapid Alert System (RASFF), Salmonella and Campylobacter alerts in poultry products represent a high proportion.

In recent months over three hundred cases of Salmonellosis have occurred in various European countries and Canada and have been linked. Evidence from the United Kingdom points to breaded frozen poultry meat as a common cause of the salmonellosis cases.

It is true that germs such as Salmonella and Campylobacter are killed by sufficient heating during the preparation of poultry meat. A transfer of these germs to hands, cutting boards and other kitchen utensils e.g. dishcloths from draining liquids trigger the dangerous infections also with fatal outcome. Salmonella findings must therefore be reported to the supervisory authorities.

In addition to good production hygiene, extreme care is also required when preparing poultry meat in the home kitchen and in restaurants.

Another risk food with regard to potential salmonella contamination is sprouts and sprouting seeds. These are readily eaten raw Thorough rinsing and blotting dry with kitchen tissue is the least that should be done. It is even better to blanch the sprouts briefly in boiling water and then chill them in ice-cold water before eating them. They will still remain crunchy, but the risk of salmonella is significantly minimized!

Tip: Regular monitoring is the only way to gain an unbiased impression of production hygiene. In order to avoid a complete plant closure in case of a crisis, the complete proof of an entrepreneurial-responsible management with a basically functioning HACCP concept is very helpful. We are happy to support you in this.

YOUR PLUS: All AGROLAB food laboratories in Europe carry out microbiological examinations and neutral hygiene testing. We detect all pathogenic germs reliably, quickly and also inexpensively and help you to identify the sources of entry in order to take sensible corrective measures and prove their success.

Autor: Dr. Frank Mörsberger