More than 29.500 poultry and pig fattening farms are included in the monitoring of the QS scheme
QA Your testing system for food. started a broad-based antibiotics monitoring and reduction program on April 1, 2012 with the launch of the antibiotics database VetProof. More than 25.500 pig fattening and 4.000 poultry fattening farms from Germany and abroad are currently included in the database. The veterinarians of the companies are obliged to report all antibiotics to the database.
Animal feed: One year system for evaluating suppliers Allianz Feedstuff Safety Germany (AFS) eG: General Assembly draws a positive balance
One year after the founding of the cooperative, the compound feed manufacturers organized in Allianz Feed Safety Germany (AFS) eG draw a positive balance and determine further development steps. The AFS eG was founded in Melle at the end of September 2011 by cooperative compound feed manufacturers. The goals defined were the development of an efficient system for supplier evaluation for feed manufacturers and the further optimization of safety in the value chain.
Around 5.800 convenience products under the quality magnifying glass
The food test center of the DLG (German Agricultural Society) examined the quality of around 5.800 convenience products from 285 companies this year. 2.700 of these products have now been tested in the Bad Salzuflen exhibition halls. Products of the "quick kitchen" were tested. These include frozen products and ready meals as well as delicatessen items, fish & seafood and meat in self-service packs.
In the barbecue season, ready-to-cook meat, e.g. B. marinated pork schnitzel, steaks or chops are very popular. Marinating not only makes the meat flavorful, it also makes it more tender. However, heavily seasoned marinades can not only mask unpleasant odors, for example if the meat is no longer quite fresh, but it can no longer be recognized whether the schnitzel offered is actually a schnitzel. For this reason, the Food and Veterinary Institute (LVI) Oldenburg of the Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (LAVES) examined a total of 73 samples of marinated, raw grilled meat.
In a test of 22 ready-to-serve Bolognese sauces with and without meat, branded products from the jar performed best. One product was even "very good". Of four vegetarian Bolognese sauces, only one received the grade "Good", but the testers could not recommend five fix sauces in a bag for the preparation of Bolognese. This is the result of the Stiftung Warentest in the September issue of its magazine test.
A report from everyday laboratory work at the Stuttgart Investigation Office
"Prosciutto di Parma" (Parma ham) is an Italian ham specialty from a narrowly defined area of the Parma region. Due to its manufacturing process, it is a high-priced product that has gained additional exclusivity through its entry in the list of protected geographical indications in the EU.
The Belgian Certus standard provider Belpork and the Association of Belgian Slaughterhouses and Cutting Companies FEBEV have agreed to achieve a sustainable agreement with QS in a joint, constructive dialogue so that Belgian Certus pork will also be QS-compliant after December 31.12.2012, 2012 remains guaranteed. The two parties are reacting with concentrated strength to the termination of the contract at the end of XNUMX, previously announced by QS.
Horror of rotten meat? – Survey: Majority considers germ-containing meat to be the greatest health risk in the kitchen
Marinated steaks, chops and sausages have been piling up in supermarkets and butchers since the start of the barbecue season. But many Germans sometimes don't feel very comfortable when shopping, the fear of rotten meat can still be felt. According to a survey commissioned by the health magazine "Apotheken Umschau", almost two-thirds of Germans believe that meat containing germs is the greatest health risk in the kitchen (61,7%).
The economy's test system aims to minimize the use of medicines in animal husbandry
QA Your testing system for food. will introduce a monitoring program to minimize the use of antibiotics in animal husbandry. Poultry production started in April 2012. The program is to be extended to pig fattening in the middle of the year. This was decided by the QS Quality and Safety GmbH in its advisory committees for poultry, beef, veal and pork. We want to help reduce the use of antibiotics in agriculture to what is absolutely necessary. With our monitoring program, we will create a reliable data basis from which we can derive the necessary consequences for minimizing the use of antibiotics," explains QS Managing Director Dr. Hermann-Josef Nienhoff. Although science cannot yet fully answer all questions regarding the connection between the use of antibiotics in animal and human medicine on the one hand and the problem of resistance on the other, the use of antibiotics in animal husbandry is currently the subject of intense discussion. Detached from the current discussions, the members of the QS Advisory Boards started work last year on the introduction of antibiotic monitoring on the initiative of poultry and pig producers. At present, work is being done at full speed on the guidelines and the technical implementation in a central database. Even if the discussion about practical details is not over, the cornerstones of the monitoring program have already been determined: In future, all animal owners in the QS scheme may only use antibiotics from veterinarians who are registered in the QS scheme and who have committed themselves to reporting antibiotic prescriptions to QS. The veterinarians enter all relevant data on the use of antibiotics, such as the date of prescription and application, drug, amount and duration of treatment, into the database. Once there is reliable data and an assessment by experts, QS will work with the advisory boards to define categories into which companies will be classified based on the level of antibiotic use. Farms with an increased use of antibiotics are obliged to seek advice from their farm veterinarian and external experts, for example on steps to improve their hygiene management, based on a graduated plan of measures. If this is unsuccessful, sanctions can be imposed and increased requirements set. After recording the master data, antibiotics monitoring will start operating in April 2012 with the recording of all antibiotic prescriptions. This applies to all 3.800 QS-certified poultry farmers in Germany and abroad. In the course of the year, the system will be expanded to include the 43.000 pig farmers in the QS scheme.
The monitoring program will create a basis for comparison (benchmark) by recording the use of antibiotics: animal owners and veterinarians will recognize the need for action based on the data and suitable evaluations. Poultry and pig farmers with an above-average use of antimicrobial drugs are actively required to improve their health management in order to get by with fewer antibiotics in the future. For consumers, the blue QS certification mark will in future also be a guide to responsible, minimized use of medicines in animal husbandry.
German poultry industry takes animal welfare seriously - and finances unannounced controls in the QS system
German poultry farmers take animal welfare, animal health and hygiene seriously - and don't shy away from unannounced inspections. From now on, the German chicken and turkey farmers voluntarily submit themselves to additional checks in the QS system for quality and safety in the food chain. The so-called "spot audits" of QS Qualitäts und Sicherheit GmbH, financed by the poultry industry, start in February 2012 and check the farms with regard to animal welfare, animal health and hygiene. "We have nothing to hide in our stables," says Leo Graf von Drechsel, President of the Central Association of the German Poultry Industry (ZDG). "With us, experts can see for themselves at any time that the barn management works and that the animals are doing well." This plus in control and safety for the consumer is so far unique in the German processing industry. The German poultry industry is investing around 300.000 euros in the additional controls.
Number of complaints remains stable / BVL presents the results of the official food and consumer goods monitoring 2010
Deficiencies in operational hygiene and hygiene management are still the main cause of complaints. This is shown by the figures from the official food control for the year 2010, which the Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) presented today in Berlin. Overall, however, the number of complaints remains consistently low.
