Salmon sales are threatened by poison scare in Germany

Scottish salmon looks set to become a victim of the latest food scare, after German investigators discovered that one in six brands of the fish for sale in their country was contaminated with a deadly bacterium.
Although none of salmon found to contain listeria is believed to have originated in Scotland, experts fear the resulting furore will have a huge impact on pre-Christmas sales of Scottish salmon.
The study, by a German television programme, claimed five of 33 salmon brands it bought from local supermarkets were contaminated with listeria bacteria - germs which can cause blood poisoning or brain inflammation.
Scientists believe the contamination occurred during the packaging process of the fish, which generally takes place in Germany, where people traditionally eat fish on Christmas Eve and are avid consumers of smoked salmon over the holiday period.

Experts said that following this scare, shoppers there will boycott all brands of fish, something which could have major cost implications for Scottish salmon producers.
Germany is among the top ten export markets for the Scottish salmon industry, accounting for approximately 1,400 of the 55,000 tonnes of the fresh product shipped every year.
Rolf Kamphausen, the consumer affairs minister for the state of North Rhine- Westphalia, said: "We take this result seriously, because before Christmas so much salmon is usually sold. We are investigating right now. If the problem is in Germany we will insist they change their production methods, and if it is abroad we will pass the information on to the relevant authorities in that member state."
Five of 33 samples bought from shops such as supermarket chain Aldi were ten times over the safe limit for listeria, while one product had 100 times the acceptable level. Of the five infected samples, two were from Norway, one from Ireland, another from Alaska and the remaining salmon could have come from any European country - including Britain.

Sid Patten, the chief executive of the Scottish Salmon Producers' Organisation, said: "There is absolutely no evidence to suggest that the problem emanated in Scotland. In fact, the reporting suggests that the contamination occurred in the processing and packing in Germany.
"Contrary to what has been reported, of the five contaminated samples none is positively identified as coming from Scotland.

"Scotland is among the leaders in food processing and packaging. And Scottish salmon is of the highest standard of safety and quality. Scotland prides itself in well-run food businesses and people buying from such sources need have no fear."

Source:- The Scotsman 8th December 2006