BRINDISI – Yesterday, Thursday 6 June 2024, a control operation of the Veterinary Service Area B Hygiene of foods of animal origin – structure of the Prevention Department of the Local Health Authority – was concluded in the weekly market of the Sant’Elia district, carried out together with the Carabinieri of the NAS of Taranto and with the help of the local police of Brindisi and the Carabinieri of the territorial station.
“At the end of May – explains the director of the Service, Adriano Rotunno – counterfeit cheese was seized. This time the inspection revealed the presence of street vendors selling mussels (black mussels) and various fish species such as sea bass, cicada, pink prawns, in the absence of the required documentation useful for reconstructing the origin. To protect the health of consumers, approximately one hundred kilograms of fish products were seized and immediately destroyed as ordered by the veterinary medical director involved in the inspection lack of any authorization, all the equipment used illegally for the sale of the product was also seized for subsequent confiscation. Consequently, the street vendors were charged with pecuniary violations amounting to several thousand euros”.
Rotunno underlines that “this activity demonstrates that the close collaboration between the Service, which is the competent local authority, and the police forces, in particular the military of the NAS of Taranto led by lieutenant Angelo Gaeta, can lead to an increase in the level of food safety and the quality and hygiene standards of all operators in the agri-food chain, including those in the market areas. The checks aimed at guaranteeing the compliance of foods with the provisions aimed at preventing risks to public health and protecting the interests of consumers are carried out periodically. Consumers are urged – concludes Rotunno – to purchase regularly labeled products from authorized sellers, in order to avoid possible food poisoning”.
