Finnish salmonella source confirmed

27-03-2009 | Home | News

The cause of the recent salmonella outbreak that hit Finnish pig and poultry farms has been pinpointed to the cooling system on the production line of feed producer Raisio Feed.

Officials have not suggested that Raisio Feed were negligent or made mistakes. The soybeans brought to the factory from abroad, which were used as raw material for the feed, had been found clean.

Salmonella was found in an additional two pig farms, making a total of nine in all that were affected. Finland has a total of 2,500 farms specialised in raising pork. Faecal samples will be studied by the Finnish Food Safety Authority (EVIRA), and some in local laboratories.

73% of pork farms have been investigated already, and salmonella has been detected in 2% of them, which amounts to 0.5-1% of all pork farms in Finland.

Raisio Feed states that officials had not found any negligence or mistakes in any of its activities. The company says that as a responsible player it supports tighter control of imported raw materials, and control of the processes from the factory all the way to the farm.

While consumers have not been in any danger at any stage of the outbreak, the company apologises to all who have been affected by the events and will bear full responsibility and compensate for the damage caused.