In the scandal around listeria-contaminated meat products of the company Wilke, the consumer protection organization Foodwatch accuses the authorities of insufficient and too late intervention. Foodwatch bases its renewed allegations on a report by the Task Force on Food Safety, which is located at Darmstadt Regional Council.
The good 30-page report refers to an operational inspection on 2 October at Wilke in Twistetal-Berndorf, one day after the Waldeck-Frankenberg ordered closure of the now insolvent operation. The Hessian Ministry of the Environment, which is also responsible for consumer protection, confirmed on SPIEGEL inquiry that the document after the first inspection was the report of the working group.
"Complete failure of the self-control system"
According to the Task Force, hygiene problems have been repeatedly identified at Wilke for years. Already in September 2013, salami meats had been recalled in six states because salmonella was found in a sample. Between May 2018 and May 2019, Wilke conducted its own controls on its products, including bacon, tea sausage and bacon. In all seven samples Wilke found the Task Force Listeria, but below the permitted limit. The butcher had informed the veterinary office but only in September this year.
Authorities associate three deaths and 37 disease cases with listeria-contaminated Wilke sausage. The inspectors confirm Wilke's "complete failure of the self-control system". Thus, an evaluation of the operation showed that in 2018 half of the finished products examined for germs were conspicuous. From this, however, no sufficient consequences were drawn. In addition, according to the report, recommendations from previous inspections were partially not implemented.
Entire production area contaminated
According to the report, the company has been thoroughly cleaned several times over the past few years, but in the long term the company apparently had great problems in ensuring hygienic production. On October 2, according to the Task Force, the inspectors found "ideal conditions for a persistent settlement, proliferation and proliferation of Listeria". There is no one-off source of the germs, but rather "the entire production area must be considered contaminated over a large area".
Prior to the plant visit on October 2, the managing director of Wilke was informed that the deaths and illnesses can be traced back to listeria-contaminated Wilke products. The managing director had shown himself "generally unreasonable" and withdrew from the meeting, even before the company tour began. The public prosecutor Kassel meanwhile investigates against the managing director because of negligent killing.
more on the subject
According to Foodwatch, the large number of structural defects found "gives the impression that hygienic production in the premises was not possible at all". According to Foodwatch, this must have been noticed during previous inspections and should have had consequences. "The responsible Hessian Ministry for the Environment told SPIEGEL that it had only been informed about the extent of the hygienic and structural defects by the Task Force report "We continue to work hard on the Enlightenment," said a spokeswoman.
The complain the inspectors in the decommissioned operation of Wilke:
- humidity
Regierungspräsidium Darmstadt / Task Force for Food Safety
Moldy cooling unit in the goods receipt
The authorities found dripping ceilings, wet floors and contaminated machines during the farm inspection. According to the report, this resulted in mold, rust, limescale and dirt. Condensation "got into open production machines as well as open pans and wagons, which are again intended for open meat". In an elevator rotten Fleischsaftreste were found, when opening the elevator door was "smell of decay".
- pests
Regierungspräsidium Darmstadt / Task Force for Food Safety
Mouse feces in the fridge at Wilke
The inspectors found mouse feces in a cold room where natural casings for sausages were also stored open. There were flies in a spice store without windows.
- Insufficient cleaning
Regierungspräsidium Darmstadt / Task Force for Food Safety
Bockwurstreste lay on the ground - after cleaning
In the presented contract with a cleaning company some rooms have not been listed, according to the report. During the post-cleaning inspection the day before, the authorities found Bockwurstreste on the floor of a cold room and dirty sausage production equipment. Even cleaning equipment itself had been filthy.
- Lack of maintenance
Regierungspräsidium Darmstadt / Task Force for Food Safety
A scaffolding supports the ceiling in Wilkes Fleischfabrik
"In the middle of the hygiene area was a scaffold to support the ceiling," write the inspectors to a corresponding photo. Ceiling covering peeled off in various rooms, holes filled with water were in the ground.
