Contaminated meat products sold in EU

The wholesaler in Johanneskirchen, in the southern state of Bavaria (Germany), from whom the police seized 50 tons of food last week, has committed suicide. The unnamed company's accounts showed that 90 tons of rotten and out-of-date meat products and foods had been shipped earlier to Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, said European Commission spokesman Philip Tod. The German wholesaler may have sold rotten meat and out-of-date foodstuffs to companies in eight European Union countries before German authorities blocked a second consignment of spoiled goods also slated for export. The incident comes amid growing concerns in Europe about contaminated food products.

The EU was also informed late September 1 about a second case in Grobbenzell, also in Bavaria, that involves the relabeling of products, Tod said. An unknown quantity of food was exported to Ireland, Austria and Italy though "...it appears that these products have been recalled," the European Commission spokesman said by telephone.