In 2021, the cantonal laboratory again tracked down inedible and unsustainable food. In addition to food, there were also useless blue pills – and even golf courses.
The Zurich Cantonal Laboratory has discovered irregularities in the origin of kebab meat.
A Dutch van loaded with two tons of unrefrigerated beef. A moldy ice machine in a dimly lit bar. Alleged organic morels contaminated with pesticides: These are just three of many abuses that the Cantonal Laboratory of Zurich discovered last year.
About every tenth of over 20,000 samples examined in the laboratory had to be rejected. This emerges from the annual report published on Tuesday. However, one cannot conclude from this that the quality of the food is poor or that there are hygienic deficiencies in every tenth restaurant or every tenth bakery, says Zurich cantonal chemist Martin Brunner.
“The samples were taken using a risk-based approach,” he says. Farms that have had deficiencies in the past are checked more intensively than those without major problems. Where unsustainable conditions prevailed, the company would be closed.
This is exactly what happened to a club that was converted into a pizza delivery service because of the pandemic. He was one of over 8,000 companies that were inspected last year. The operator was doubly unlucky: one day his home was broken into and he called the police. This, in turn, not only noticed signs of a break-in, but also unsustainable hygienic conditions and informed the cantonal laboratory, which shut down operations immediately. When a subtenant took over the business, he too received a notice of closure because nothing had changed with regard to the defects.
In another case, a food inspector uncovered illegal production of doner kebab skewers in a backyard facility that had been reported closed. It turned out that around 800 kilograms of meat were processed and sold in the area per month. The hygiene was poor, the equipment was damaged. This company was also closed with immediate effect.
The cantonal laboratory has documented cases of unhygienic food storage.
The blue pill from the internet
The cantonal laboratory also dealt with substances that were advertised as aids for all sorts of ailments. According to the annual report, Ayurvedic products, some of which contained banned plants, were particularly problematic. In addition, there is often no clear distinction between food and pharmaceuticals. The concept of Ayurvedic nutrition and medicine “can only be reconciled to a limited extent with the food and medicinal product regulations that apply to us,” writes the laboratory.
A classic in the large spectrum of dubious pharmacy are erection enhancers from the Internet. Some deliveries were intercepted and examined at the border in cooperation with customs and Swissmedic. One of the blue pills contained an unauthorized drug, and a second product even contained poisonous plants. The laboratory generally advises against ordering erection enhancers on the Internet.
With the pandemic, means that promised to offer protection against disease or a cure for an infection also gained in importance. However, it is very difficult to control their distribution, writes the laboratory in its report. They are often advertised using flyers and a private telephone number, or on social networks. An offer is deleted only to be reactivated elsewhere a few days later. However, warnings from the authorities that such agents are useless or even dangerous are not really taken seriously.
Greens anything but green
Finally, operators of golf courses are also criticized in the annual report. The facility needs intensive maintenance. A check of two places showed that many means had been used that did not comply with the legal regulations. Pesticides were no longer approved or incorrectly labelled. In addition, distance rules were not observed when spraying and the funds were massively overdosed. These results will now have consequences for all Zurich golf courses: The laboratory has announced that it will check all facilities.