Meat trader suspect commits suicide in Germany 06/09/2006 00:00

6 September 2006

MUNICH - Amidst a scandal in Germany over out-of-date meat, a trader whose meat business came under scrutiny has committed suicide, police said in the southern city of Munich on Wednesday.

The man, 74, was found hanged in his apartment. Investigators had sought answers from him over claims that tons of meat which had passed its "use-by" date had been sold as fresh to fast-food outlets. He had declined to answer questions, authorities said.

German consumers have been shaken in the past week by claims that the age of meat is rarely checked and that it is possible for dishonest merchants to pass off old frozen meat as new.

There have been a series of discoveries in the past year of meat being re-labelled.

More than 40 tons of expired meat has been seized at a cool-store in Metten near Munich after the owner could not explain why it was being kept.

Of 33 samples from the meat examined in a laboratory, one third were unfit for human consumption, authorities said.

DPA

Subject: German news