"7.9 tons of meat with salmonella/ AKU official: It was imported from Brazil"

2025-03-28 20:56:00, Aktualitet CNA

"7.9 tons of meat with salmonella/ AKU official: It was imported from

The Director of Risk Management of the National Food Authority, Martin Jorgaqi, has shared other data regarding the scandal with salmonella-contaminated chicken.

In a television appearance, Jorgaqi provided more specific information regarding the quantity and the country from which it was imported, which is Brazil.

Asked about the amount of meat with salmonella, Jorgaqi said it was 7.9 tons and that it came from imports.

"The amount of meat contaminated with salmonella came from imports, from Brazil, and the national food authority, based on monitoring plans and sampling at border inspection points, carried out such a procedure and it resulted that the product was contaminated with salmonella. The amount in question is 7.9 tons," said Jorgaqi.

Jorgaqi said that checks are also being carried out on other quantities of product.

"The 7.9-ton load, which resulted in a sample being taken with salmonella above the permitted norms. Also, in the control we are conducting at the importing entity, we have managed to block other quantities of product that this operator has in its warehouse," said Jorqaqi.

Asked why the public was not notified on March 21, Jorgaqi said that the NFA took action only when it received the analysis report with the results.

"On March 21, the AKU received information about the analysis report and immediately took action to block the quantity in the warehouse. With our troops, we went out into the field, notified the consumer at the points of sale where we had information that this operator had distributed its products. Both with photos of the product and with an explanation for the return of this product for consumers who had purchased it and had it in their refrigerators or environments," said Jorgaqi.

Asked if they have the invoices for who this product went to, Jorgaqi said that even though it is a legal obligation, the irregular business had not updated the data and lists.

"Invoices are part of the traceability process, which is a legal obligation of the business operator to keep updated and make them available to the NFA for product tracking, this was one of the violations of the business operator. This was precisely a major violation of the business operator who did not have these lists updated and we had to make a cooperation agreement with the General Directorate of Taxes to clarify all sales and we spent the necessary time and people to check other invoices that perhaps had nothing to do with this product", - said Jorgaqi./CNA