31 August 2005

TOLEDO — A company which sells pre-cooked chickens faces fines of over EUR 600,000 for infecting 2,700 people with salmonella.

SADA must pay EUR 616,000 for causing the outbreak after being convicted of two offences connected with the affair.

Health authorities in Castilla-La Mancha said the serious offence of contamination related to failure to control properly production systems in the factory in Lominchar, near Toledo, in central Spain.

The second offence relates to the lack of information provided to the health authorities during inspections about recent changes to the production line and ingredients.

The regional health authority has denied responsibility for  failing to detect the infected chickens.

Roberto Sabrido, spokesman for the authority, said SADA was the only party responsible.
 
The outbreak happened in July and left 2,700 people across the country infected. In all, 183,000 chickens had to be recalled.

No-one at the company notified the health authorities of a new sauce which had been added to the chickens, Sabrido said.

So during a visit on 26 July, inspectors were unable to check the chicken properly even though at this stage some were already infected with salmonella.

They could not detect the bacteria in the sauce which goes with the chicken because some were infected and others were not.

The company was subject to two inspections each week.
 
But José Manuel Rodríguez Carretero, a deputy from the conservative Popular Party, accused the health authorities of lack of transparency and said it should have detected salmonella in the chickens.

He called for Sabrio to resign, but the spokesman refused.

[Copyright EFE with Expatica]

Subject: Spanish news