The President of the National Authority for Consumer Protection, Horia Constantinescu, announced yesterday morning that there are producers in Romania who dye chicken meat “to make it look better”, warning that we are facing a “serious threat to the safety of each of us“. In response, the executive director of ANSVSA, Mihai Ponea, accuses the ANPC president of misleading consumers.
Yellow chickens, dyed by feeding – Photo Facebook Horia Constantinescu
“There is a saying that you walk with a painted crow. But here the modern version refers to the dyed chicken. There are economic operators who paint these products to mislead us. But here too a miracle happens: some of the chickens are dyed by feeding, so that the dye penetrates the fabric and cannot be washed off“, Horia Constantinescu wrote, yesterday morning, on Facebook.
He states that we are facing a serious attack on public health.
“If we add the salmonella ingredient, discovered on some farms by our colleagues, in the conditions where there should be serious, not superficial, filters at each of these structures, then the dyed chicken also becomes a danger to our health. We are facing a serious threat to the safety of each of us: chickens yellowed to look better, contaminated with dangerous strains of salmonella“, Constantinescu also wrote.
The post is accompanied by images of whole chickens, placed in containers of water, which appear to have lost their color on certain parts of the skin. He also put up a catch with the prospectus of a “feed additive for use in the mixture, in the finished feed, for the additional pigmentation of the skin of the birds and the coloring of the egg yolk“.
“Interestingly, and please read the leaflet, the eggs also take on a different color once food mixed with our cheat products is used“, continued the head of ANPC.
ANSVA reaction
In reply, the executive director of the National Sanitary Veterinary Authority (ANSVSA) Mihai Ponea accuses Horia Constantinescu of misleading consumers. Ponea explained that every batch of birds that are slaughtered in farms is tested for salmonella and that out of the 2500 types of bacteria, only two are dangerous, the products to which they are identified being withdrawn from the market.
“Consumers need to know that we do not eat sterile meat, only sterile canned products do not contain bacteria. Every food we touch has salmonella“, said the head of ANSVSA.
“Let's not mislead that the products sold by Romanian producers are infested or have dyes added to them. Every batch of birds slaughtered in farms is tested for salmonella. I publicly explain to Horia Constantinescu that there are 2,500 types of salmonella, of which only 2 are dangerous and are regulated. Before any batch of birds is slaughtered, 48 hours in advance the farm doctor electronically sends food chain documents – feed, weight, age and puts a laboratory report that the birds are free or contaminated with salmonella. Consumers need to know that we do not eat sterile meat, only sterile canned products do not contain bacteria. Every food we touch has salmonella. Romanians must have the guarantee that in every slaughterhouse, farm, every batch of slaughtered birds is treated from the point of view of salmonella, because we are in a European program and we are monitored. Salmonella is naturally present in the intestines of birds, 70% is identified as salmonella, but it is harmless. We are looking for the two that are dangerous and the products are withdrawn from the shelf. The 2498 harmless types disappear within a minute of cooking. Any label says not to consume without heat treatment. In meat and in all foods there are bacteria with which we live. As for the color change, it happens because of the temperature change, from the time we pick it up from the haberdashery until we get home, it may be due to the thermal chain. He (the chicken – no) stays at 2 degrees in the galantar, if we stay in the market, in the car, the bacteria change color. If we compare with the country chicken, the one fed only with grains and carotene has a more yellow color. Just as the chicken slaughtered in the countryside is yellow because the grandparents feed it with grains, so also the traders offer the consumers, chickens with yellow meat. Horia Constantinescu has no information, he comes up with defamatory things about Romanian producers and consumersr”, said Mihai Ponea, executive director of ANSVSA.
He also detailed how chicken meat can acquire the yellow color associated with country chickens, which we consider healthier.
“Any food that is on the shelves of stores, contains allowed dyes, sausages, milk, bread, all contain dyes and adjuvants provided by law. There is no food that does not contain additives, and salt and pepper are additives. Likewise, the carrot that is still added to feed, for its carotene and yellow color, is also a natural dyeMihai Ponea said.
However, the head of ANPC is of the opinion that attempts are being made to cover up the wrongdoings.
“Now there is a great commotion among those who should have called attention to this phenomenon. Again, desperate arguments are being sought to show that our authority would have nothing to search the entire dyed chicken trail“, he added, concluding that he will send an information to “absolutely all the institutions that can verify how this situation got to and who covered the truth“.
A few hours later, he added that the feed that turns the chickens yellow is not toxic to birds or humans, but is a “deceptive business practice.” He noted that this method is “quite extensive” and that feed is used to give the impression of “higher quality” chickens.
Salmonella contamination through dirty hands
Salmonella bacteria cause salmonellosis. It lives in the intestinal tract of infected animals. It can contaminate meat, eggs, dairy, seafood, vegetables and fruit.
“Salmonella is a microbe that can be found in food, dairy products, but also in eggs, especially duck ones. When they are contaminated and are consumed without being intensively thermally prepared, they can produce food poisoning. Salmonella poisoning ranks first among food poisoning in our country. By contaminating the food, the hands of the people who prepare the food. When boiling above 100 degrees or with an intense flame, the microbe is destroyed. It's just that a “soft-boiled egg” or eggs used in the production of cakes in public food, where not so much heat is prepared, can lead to illness. For example, it is forbidden to use duck eggs, which can frequently be contaminated with salmonella, in public food.”, states Dr. Virgil Musta, from the “Victor Babeş” Infectious Diseases Hospital in Timisoara.
For his part, Adrian Marinescu, primary infectious diseases physician and Medical Director at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases “Prof. Dr. Matei Balș” says that “the risk of salmonellosis exists in anything that means meats that are undercooked.”
“There are two discussions: firstly, that the meat itself is contaminated or the way the food is prepared, which is eaten too little cooked or raw, speaking of Japanese cuisine. First of all, we have to think about the source, that's why the authorities must monitor. It would be logical that contaminated food should not end up in stores. There are fewer dangerous strains. The important thing is to try to prevent contamination. If we prepare the meat correctly, on the grill, in the oven, boil or fry it, we make sure that we have taken measures against the bacteria“, says the doctor.
To protect ourselves we must wash our hands properly and often and prepare food properly.
“The most important vector is still unwashed hands, hands that are not properly washed with soap and water clearly mean a high risk, among others, of salmonella. Washing hands with soap and water must be repeated often enough, both for adults and children, in the case of small children it is much more difficult to avoid food poisoning. We are talking about basic hygiene rules, including food hygiene. Such as storing food, or transporting it, which is practically all done with our hands, and then we can transmit microbes from one part to another. For example, in the case of some shaormers, if the employees there do not maintain hygiene, they can obviously transmit salmonella with their hands. The heat preparation is holy, and I think that way we manage to get rid of everything.“, adds Dr. Adrian Marinescu.
We also need to know where the food comes from. Contamination is done either through food or through carriers.
“People with diarrhea should see their family doctor to be diagnosed with salmonella and treated to avoid becoming carriers and contaminating food. Contamination is done through food or directly by the carriers through dirty hands, through lack of hygiene or indirectly through contaminated furniture where food is prepared“, Dr. Virgil Musta informs us.
Although a food poisoning does not seem like such a serious thing, there are vulnerable people for whom such an episode can lead to death, doctors warn.
“If I am a vulnerable person, I have a certain age, I have chronic diseases, food poisoning can mean noisy digestive symptoms, with diarrheal stools, with vomiting. An episode of this kind can lead to dehydration in a short time, hours, for a small child, the elderly or people with chronic diseases. Unfortunately, it can decompensate existing diseases and it can get worse, it can even collapse, unfortunately. Dehydration due to food poisoning is a medical emergency.“, draws the attention of Dr. Adrian Marinescu.
Sources of Salmonella infection
According to the “Dr. Victor Babes” Medical Center for Diagnosis and Treatment, the sources of Salmonella infection are:
- poultry meat, pork, beef, if they are raw, not prepared properly or are infected with Salmonella bacteria after preparation
- infected eggs, egg products, milk, milk products when not properly prepared, handled or stored
- rare – pets (turtles, snakes, lizards, salamanders, birds and mice)
Rules for avoiding Salmonella infection:
- cook the meat well
- do not eat or drink preparations made with raw eggs or unpasteurized milk
- do not eat or drink food from unsafe sources
- wash eggs with soap before use
- wash vegetables and fruits before eating them
- wash all kitchen work areas and utensils with soap and water immediately after they have been used for cooking
- take into account cross-contamination (example: when raw meat comes into contact with ready-made food)
- wash your hands whenever you switch from preparing one product to another
- wash your hands often with soap and water.
