Add organic eggs to Europe’s ongoing food scandals.
As many as 150 German and 36 Dutch poultry farms are being investigated for fraud involving organic eggs. Led by prosecutors in Oldenburg, Germany, the investigation is looking into violations of organic rules for free-range egg production.
To sell “free range” eggs in Germany requires meeting specific time requirements for populations of hens being kept on the farm. The “free range” status is lost if too many animals are kept during the same time period. “We suspect that there has been systematic fraud on a large scale and it is a serious crime,” says Christian Meyer, the new Green Party agricultural minister of Lower Saxony, The investigation has been ongoing since 2011. Records of organic poultry practices are spotty. Violations could bring both fines and prison sentences. The Dutch poultry farms are suspected of supplying laying hens to the Germans using a double book-keeping system and fake bills. This allowed the German poultry farms to show that had fewer chickens on their farms than they in fact did. This system allegedly allowed the German poultry farms to label eggs as organic, fetching higher prices, when they in fact kept too many chickens not raised according to organic specifications. Eggs sold in the European Union (EU) are stamped to show the country and farm where they came from along with whether the hens they came from were organically, free range or caged raised. Rules for each category are strict. Organic advocates believe German poultry farms have had too many chickens, but have not misrepresented the type of farm. EU consumers generally view organic eggs as coming from the “happiest chickens” because they have better feed and space to run around. They pay a premium for those eggs.
The News Desk team at Food Safety News covers breaking developments, regulatory updates, recalls, and key topics shaping food safety today. These articles are produced collaboratively by our editorial staff.
Public health officials have warned that they are seeing consistently high levels of gastrointestinal infections in England.
Data published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows minimal change in
Infection data from Ireland has revealed an increase in most major pathogens this past year with Salmonella at its highest level since 2008.
Figures come from a report published by
Findings from a preliminary investigation into the availability of illicit alcohol in an Australian state have been described as “concerning.”
Researchers visited four licensed alcohol retailers in Melbourne, Victoria, during
Officials from several countries, including the United States, met in China recently to discuss food safety priorities.
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference was hosted by the General Administration of
As part of its enforcement activities, the Food and Drug Administration sends warning letters to entities under its jurisdiction. Some letters are not posted for public view until weeks or
Synear Foods USA LLC, a Chatsworth, Calif. establishment, is recalling 71,603 pounds of frozen not-ready-to-eat (NRTE) pork and crab soup dumpling products due to misbranding and undeclared allergens, the
The a2 Milk Company (“a2MC”) has recalled three specific batches of its imported a2 Platinum Premium USA label infant formula 0-12 months because of the presence of cereulide. The product
JXK Enterprises Inc. is recalling Boner Bears Chocolate, Lot #BB21125, after being notified that FDA laboratory analysis confirmed the presence of sildenafil, an active ingredient in the FDA-approved prescription drug
