European consumer advocates criticize the declining number of food controls in Germany and other EU countries. One reason for this is lack of money for regular checks. This is the result of a report by the EU consumer association BEUC. The financial resources for controls have been falling for years.
"Even products that easily lead to food poisoning, such as meat, eggs and dairy products, are being monitored less and less frequently," commented BEUC Director-General Monique Goyens. The report examines the situation in 12 predominantly Western European countries.
20 percent fewer controls in Germany than in 2007
According to the report, there were around 225,000 fewer inspections in Germany in 2017 than ten years earlier. This represents a decline of more than 20 percent, although the number of companies remained roughly constant.
After Listeria was found a few weeks ago at the Hessian sausage producer Wilke, German food inspectors came under fire. They were accused of informing the prosecutor too late about deficiencies.
Read here how dangerous cheap meat from the supermarket can be
A long-planned EU food control regulation, which will come into effect on 14 December, is intended to improve the situation in Europe. Accordingly, standards for controls in all EU countries should be standardized. Sanctions for breaches and frauds in food businesses should be "effective, proportionate and dissuasive", the law says.
The consumer association welcomed the regulation but called for further steps. Consumer confidence in food can be improved through standardized hygiene labels for restaurants, cafés and bars. In countries like the United Kingdom, Denmark and Norway such measures would have worked well. However, the regulation exempts the EU member states from introducing such a regulation.
