Yellowfin tuna steak. (Photo: Stock File)

105 people poisoned with histamine in tuna uncover suppliers’ fraud

SPAIN
Friday, September 22, 2017, 00:00 (GMT + 9)

The Civil Guard has investigated 7 people as alleged perpetrators of a crime against public health with food products, the crime of documentary misrepresentation and a crime related to consumers.

These were allegedly implicated and in different degrees of responsibility in the food poisoning of 105 people with histamine, after tuna (Thunnus albacares) consumption. This was bought in a fresh-thawed state from a company in Levante of Almeria, dedicated to the purchase and sale of this product.

Investigation start

The Civil Guard began the investigation of what happened last May, following the health alert issued by the Spanish Agency of Consumption, Food Safety and Nutrition (AECOSAN).

This alert was transferred within the framework of the national food alert network (Rapid Information Exchange Coordinated System) and Community (Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed), following histamine poisoning as a result of consumption of tuna, purchased in fresh-thawed condition from a company of Levante, in Almeria, dedicated to the purchase, sale and elaboration of this product.

The poisoning reached much of the national territory, Andalusia, Murcia, Valencia, Catalonia, Aragon, Castile and Leon, Madrid and the Basque Country, as well as of different countries of the European Union, Germany, France, Italy and Portugal.

Lack of control in the traceability of the commercialized tuna batches

During the first investigations, it was found that, through the Coordinated System for Rapid Information Exchange, the competent authorities of the Undersecretariat of Health of Junta de Andalucía informed the Spanish Agency for Consumption, Food Safety and Nutrition (AECOSAN) initially that there were two batches involved from the same supplier in the poisoning case, some batches that were withdrawn from the market by the Health Authorities of the Autonomous Communities, following the communication of the facts through the national food alert network system, coordinated by AECOSAN.

Although the Civil Guard carried out several inspections at the premises of the company under investigation, it verified that the data and documentation provided by the company in relation to the batches involved in the alert did not match the documentation, delivery notes, invoices and labels found during the inspections carried out by both the Health Authorities and the Units distributed throughout the national territory, noting that there were in fact up to six batches from several suppliers involved in food contamination.

With these inquiries it was verified the lack of control in the traceability of the commercialized tuna, so much so that the labels found did not match the batch number with the one that was included in the delivery note or invoice.

Since last March the investigated company has had a General Plan of Hygiene and Self-control, although in spite of the implementation of this Plan, and according to the inspections carried out by the Sanitary Authorities, this has not been carried out in any of its sections or in the traceability system, samples of tuna and material to be analyzed, temperature records, preservation and waiting times.

The investigating officers have carried out numerous investigations in order to determine the exact moment of the cold storage loss of the tuna involved, although the circumstances have not been possible to set due to the lack of documentary control of the tuna traceability of the business.

Manipulated reports

Likewise, it was found that the company provided some of its purchasers with a copy of the analytical results on the health status of the tuna, which had been handled in an original analytical report.

When the labels were checked, the Civil Guard was able to verify that they contained information for consumers that was not truthful about the catch areas of tunas (FAO), and especially the used fishing gear, which indicated that the tuna came from longlines, lines and hooks, when in fact such fishing gear was purse seine.

The operation has been conducted by the Court of Instruction nº 3 of Vera (Almería) and has been developed by agents of the Command of the Civil Guard of Almería with the collaboration of the SG Alerts Control of AECOSAN, SG Control and Laboratories Agroalimentarios and SG of Fishing Economy of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food (MAPAMA) and the homologous organisms of the affected Communities.

Fuente: almeria360.com

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