Yasmina Kattou, edited by Gauthier Delomez
Pizzas, chocolate, cheese… In recent days, many industrial products have been contaminated by various infections in French factories. Infections that should be avoided during the various hygiene checks. Europe 1 looked at the control system for industrial food products in France.
This is what should prevent the triggering of health alerts in France. The control of the manufacture of industrial products is called into question while infections such as salmonella, listeria or E.coli have affected chocolates, cheeses and pizzas respectively in a few days. In reality, hygiene controls can be ineffective because the General Directorate for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF) lacks the staff to carry out these missions on its own. Since the mad cow crisis, manufacturers are now being asked to control themselves.
Self-checks are mandatory to guarantee a continuous monitoring process. All the links in the production circuit are checked, such as the equipment, the raw materials, then the finished products. Food contact surfaces are scanned more regularly.
The procedure followed in the event of contamination
To complete these self-checks, the health authorities are responsible for inspecting food products from French factories. Certain high-risk sectors are checked several times a year, such as meat processing plants, for example. Finally, all products that come from abroad are systematically analyzed by the authorities.
In the event of contamination being detected, it is up to the manufacturer to notify the public authorities and to initiate the “withdrawal-recall” procedure. The product will be removed from store shelves. The consumer can get information on the Rappel Conso site, which lists all the products that are dangerous for consumption. There are more than 4,000 currently being recalled.