EU health warning over food
The health of Greece’s meat-eating population is at a higher risk than it should be due to poor hygiene standards and a lack of proper controls at abattoirs and meat markets, visiting European Union inspectors warned yesterday. «Greece is the only country-state which has presented a continuous increase over the past five years in problems regarding food safety,» Robert Coleman, head of the EU food and veterinary office, told journalists yesterday, following talks with the ministers of agriculture and development. «That is why we decided to discuss the matter with the government.» Coleman said Greece has made some progress on food hygiene. «But, without being in a position to estimate the extent of the threat, we believe that the threat to public health through the food chain is higher than it should be.» He added that many slaughterhouses should be closed, with daily inspections by specialized personnel implemented for the rest.
