Spanish authorities have seized meat products potentially unsafe to eat in two separate actions in the country.
In the first case, La Guardia Civil said it found frozen hams that had expired in 2015, issues with labelling and product that showed signs of being unfit for human consumption.
They discovered, in the village of Fuente Vaqueros in Granada, a warehouse which contained 10,700 Iberian pork ham legs and cold cuts in a poor condition. Many were expired since 2015, others did not have expiration dates and some were visibly rotten.
There were no delivery notes to prove the origin or destination of the products. Some of the labels inspected showed signs of having been manipulated, said Spanish authorities.
A Guardia Civil patrol also intercepted a truck near La Fuente going to the nearby warehouse. The truck was loaded with 25 pallets that had anomalies in the labeling. Some of the hams also showed signs of being unfit to eat.
The health department of the Regional Government of Andalusia ordered destruction of the seized products.
In the second and unrelated action, more than 100 tons of meat products, mostly hams, stored inside two warehouses belonging to an establishment in Alzira, a town in Valencia, were discovered last month.
The Spanish Agency for Consumer Affairs, Food Safety and Nutrition (AECOSAN) said the warehouses lacked sanitary authorization and the necessary registrations. Health authorities in Valencia seized the products, stopped activity of the establishment and passed information onto the Guardia Civil.
The activity of five companies dedicated to the handling of affected meat products was suspended.
AECOSAN said due to a lack of traceability it has not been possible to determine origin and destination of the products. The agency added the company has links with other warehouses in Valencia and other areas, including Castilla y León, Cataluña, Madrid and Andalucía.
Various items including chorizo, ham and salami were also removed from certain Family Cash and Kuups Design International S.L. stores as a precaution.
Products withdrawn from the market are: Jamón Bodega Alto de Aitana, Jamón bodega Sierra Gorda, Aire de Mariola, Serranía de Ameta, El Galán, Jamones Croval, Don Enrique and Oro la Ermita.
AECOSAN advised consumers who have meat products of the above-mentioned brands in their homes not to consume them.
Investigations into both incidents are continuing.
Another incident related to meat from Spain was reported via the RASFF portal in June and updated this month. It concerns an unauthorised operator for and incorrect expiry date of processed meat products infested with moulds.
The products from Spain have been seized and had labelling either absent, incomplete or incorrect and non-pathogenic microorganisms were found. They were distributed to Andorra, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, France, Poland and the United Kingdom.
(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here.)