In Germany, food and its production are strictly controlled. Nevertheless, Stiftung Warentest, Öko-Test or consumer organizations such as Foodwatch repeatedly discover dangerous ingredients in the examined products during their tests.
Warning of listeria in sausages and fish, salmonella in eggs, pesticides in spices: we have long got used to food recalls from retailers or manufacturers or the responsible authorities. Hardly a day goes by without the corresponding information to the public, as is expressly required by the legislator in Section 40 – Food and Feed Code (LFGB). Be like that for example, the public recalls by the federal government and the federal states are published on the Lebensmittelwarnung.de portal.
Such recalls are often incidents in the course of the production process – for example if foreign objects such as plastic particles accidentally get into the products during manufacture or cold chains are not adhered to. This then mostly affects individual batches, which are then withdrawn from the trade accordingly and for which a warning is issued to the consumer.
Foodwatch warns of mineral oil in food
The situation is different with more “systematic” impurities. Apparently, many foods are said to be contaminated with dangerous mineral oil residues, as the consumer organization Foodwatch found in a Europe-wide laboratory test. According to foodwatch, a total of 152 foods from different European countries were examined – every eighth product is contaminated with so-called aromatic mineral oils (MOAH), which are suspected of being carcinogenic and mutagenic. Foodwatch therefore demands “the products must be recalled immediately and an EU-wide limit value for mineral oil pollution introduced!”
But not only the organization Foodwatch investigates and warns of questionable foods. Stiftung Warentest and Öko-Test test food regularly on their taste and ingredients. The following examples show what the consumer advocates are discovering in terms of dangerous and mostly harmful substances:
Worms in the smoked salmon
Öko-Test tested a total of 20 smoked salmon in the current issue (12/2021). In addition to 15 salmon from aquaculture, five smoked wild salmon were also among the test products. In addition to the ingredients, the laboratory also checked the germ load on the specified use-by date. Sensory experts tested the salmon for appearance, smell and taste.
The good news: None Smoked salmon turned out to be really bad in the test. There were no problems with salmonella, heavy metals such as mercury or antibiotic residues in any of the products tested. Not harmful to health, but disgusting: the experts found many nematodes in three smoked salmon. These are small, dead worms that cannot be seen with the naked eye.
Mineral oil in chocolate
Some time ago, Öko-Test examined 25 whole milk chocolates in more detail. In addition to cheap discounter and supermarket products, their laboratory has also examined well-known brands such as Lindt, Milka and Ritter Sport as well as six organic products (Edition 12/2019). In addition to ingredients, taste and appearance, the chocolates were also rated for transparency and cocoa production.
The bittersweet result shows: none of the chocolates scored “very good” in the test, only two were rated “good”, including an organic product. After all, six milk chocolates failed with the rating “unsatisfactory”, and one product even had to pick up an “unsatisfactory” rating. Similar to the current Foodwatch study, some well-known brands in the Öko-Test-Labor showed, in some cases, a very high content of mineral oil components.
Plasticizers in olive oil
Fruity taste, bitter moments and sharp notes: It is the interplay that makes good olive oil so special. It is precisely this harmony that is required when the testers from the Stiftung Warentest test “extra virgin olive oil” and let it melt on your tongue. But you shouldn’t leave every oil in your food, as the results of the testers show. A total of 27 products have recently been examined, two of which only performed “poorly”.
One product failed because it was very heavily contaminated with DEHP. The high value suggests that the plasticizer may have come loose from unsuitable hoses. DEHP can impair fertility and is avoidable at high altitude. This also applies to four oils that are highly contaminated with mineral oil hydrocarbons moah and / or mosh.
Mold poison in tomato paste
In a current test, the consumer portal Öko-Test examined 20 tomato paste products. These include products from well-known discounters such as Aldi or Netto and organic products from dm and Alnatura. The result is relatively startling: almost every second tomato paste in the test was contaminated with mold toxins (alternative toxins) – including organic products. Even more: In addition to mold toxins, the Öko-Test testers also discovered pesticides.
Benzene and radium in mineral water
Stiftung Warentest tested 32 types of still mineral water. During the test, particular attention was paid to the constituents of the water types: if they contain breakdown substances from pesticides, nitrates, sweeteners or uranium, this results in point deductions in the overall ranking. The good news for consumers: 26 of the tested types of water scored “very good” or “good” – the products are completely unaffected. However: The testers found questionable ingredients in some products.
For example, the testers not only discovered excessive amounts of radium 226 and 228, the laboratory was also able to detect pesticide breakdown products and benzene.
Insecticides in herbal tea
ÖKO-Test examined 50 herbal tea blends in more detail. The frightening result: In some types of tea, dubious plant toxins are found in increased concentrations – the testers also found what they were looking for with organic tea: In some of the products, depending on the product, in addition to the forbidden insecticide chlorpyrifos, increased levels of the plant toxin PA were found. As a result, five organic products received the grade “unsatisfactory”.
Glyphosate in mustard
Öko-Test examined 20 brands of mustard. The results of the mustard test by ÖKO-TEST should please every mustard fan: No mustard is really bad. However, the laboratory found traces of the weed killer glyphosate – and that in ten out of 20 products. Brands from Aldi Süd, Thomy, Kühne, Händlmaier and Rewe, among others, are affected.
The mustards in question contained only traces of the dubious weed killer glyphosate. Öko-Test believes, however, that this agent should not be used at all. In addition, the ÖKO-TEST laboratory verified the substance bisphenol F in all types of mustard. This could have an effect on the hormonal system, but this has not yet been adequately researched. That is why there have been no legal limit values so far.