May 16, 2022 - Foods

ECJ ruling on the testing of poultry meat for salmonellae

In Regulation (EC) No. 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foods (Microbiological Criteria Regulation), Annex I stipulates that Salmonella Typhimurium and Salmonella Enteritidis must not be detectable in fresh poultry meat.

Salmonella can cause foodborne infectious diseases, which in the worst case can be fatal. Due to the high number of human cases, salmonellosis is one of the most important notifiable diseases.

Now the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in its ruling of 28.04.22 has addressed the question of how to proceed if the competent authorities detect Salmonella serotypes in fresh poultry meat other than those regulated in Regulation (EC) No. 2073/2005.

It was decided that the competent authorities may take appropriate measures in such cases. These may include, for example, restrictions on the placing on the market of foodstuffs. This also means additional microbiological criteria beyond those laid down in Regulation (EC) No. 2073/2005.

In our Tentamus laboratories we regularly carry out the testing for Salmonella, as well as the serotyping of Salmonella. We provide you with fast and reliable results.

If you have any questions, our customer service representatives will be very happy to answer them.

Sources:

Regulation 2073/2005: www.eur-lex.europa.eu
BfR: www.bfr.bund.de
ECJ ruling: via link