Factory raid nets bad meat
Government health inspectors have destroyed over 8 tons of spoiled meat seized during a spot check on one of the country’s biggest processed meat manufacturers, the state food authority said yesterday. Surprise inspections by Hellenic Food Authority (EFET) officials at the PG Nikas factory in Thessaloniki on Tuesday and Wednesday revealed 8.7 tons of various types of processed meats judged unfit for human consumption, EFET said. The offending foods were unpackaged and bore no labels. EFET said once its inspectors’ final report was available, legal action would be taken against the company, which could also face high fines. Nikas – one of Greece’s top listed food firms with a 70-million-euro turnover in 2004 – issued a statement claiming the confiscated products were residue from the cutting and packaging process, and had not been destined for consumption. It added that the factory complied with all domestic and European Union production standards.