A working meeting between science and practice

The head of the Institute for Microbiology and Toxicology at the Federal Research Institute for Nutrition and Food, Dr. dr Manfred Gareis organize, but a working meeting. "There is work behind our results and there is still a lot of work ahead of us," noted the microbiologist. From a practical point of view, the subject of "Teewurst" always involves risks. However, whether this ultimately results in a risk product should be clarified at the conference held in addition to the Kulmbach Week.

In his introduction to the topic, Dr. dr Gareis, why Teewurst is a critical product. Rich in protein and available water, the Teewurst with its fine grain provides the ideal breeding ground for germs of all kinds. Consequentially, Dipl. Ing. Wolfgang Koch, from the Stockmeyer company, devoted himself to the fight against microorganisms as practice can lead it. At this level, operational and personal hygiene is a guarantee for the safety of the product. The microbiologist Hansgeorg Hechelmann, Kulmbach, asked himself whether there are other sources of entry than the manufacturer and chose the example of salmonella contamination on pork for his investigations. The results show that an important source is the farm, which introduces its salmonella load into the end product via slaughter and cutting. Vertically integrated systems with appropriate carcass reporting are the solution.

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39th Kulmbach Week

As early as 1968, broilers reached a live weight of 2 kg within 2 months with a feed conversion ratio of 1:2 (SCHOLTYSSEK, 1968, 1969). Even then, Scholtyssek warned against shortening the fattening period any further because the older animals are more tender and have a lower carcass value. FLOCK (1977) and FLOCK and LEITHE (1986) mention a genetic shortening of the fattening period by 2,5% per year, ie by about 1 day per year.

The most important selection traits in broilers are: growth capacity, feed conversion ratio, survival rate, balance, conformation and carcass quality. A geneticist understands carcass quality to mean the slaughter yield, the proportion of valuable cuts, and skin color and firmness. Since it is an industrial production, the fattening period has been continuously shortened, while the live weight has remained the same and feed conversion has been improved at the same time. Both the multipliers and the poultry slaughterhouses use these advantages. At present, the broilers are less than 5 weeks old with a live weight of approx. 1,8 kg, a feed conversion ratio of 1:1,6 - 1,7 and a loss rate of 3 - 5% when they are slaughtered (short fattening). Alternatively, broilers are also kept as long fattening breeds where slow growing breeds are used.

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39th Kulmbach Week

The expert survey on risk aspects of meat production was carried out in 2002/2003. 40 experts (from practice, administration, investigation offices, science) took part in the survey. The procedure was carried out in two phases: After answering a written questionnaire (subject areas: animal feed 23 questions, agriculture 21 questions and slaughtering/cutting 23 questions), half of the experts (n = 19) were questioned orally in an extended form. Only selected results are reported in the present study. - A specified risk concept was specified for the study. The following should be defined as risks: Really existing risks, risks that do not actually pose a threat to the meat product, but are seen as a risk by the consumer and influence consumer behavior to the point of avoiding the product (avoidance behavior).

A point is then considered critical and will be considered in the study if

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39th Kulmbach Week

On 16 July 2003 in Brussels, the Commission presented a proposal for a Regulation on nutritional and health claims made on foods (2003/0165 [COD]). This broke new ground. So far, health claims have been used very cautiously in Europe, in contrast to Japan or the USA. Labeling of nutritional values ​​on a voluntary basis has been possible since Directive 90/496/EEC of September 24.9.1990, 2. There, XNUMX labeling options were specified in standardized forms: Type and amount of energy, protein, carbohydrates, fat Type and amount of energy, protein, carbohydrates (sugar), fat (saturated fatty acids), sodium or salt and fiber content

Vitamin and mineral content are possible if they have significant proportions. Cholesterol and mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids can also be listed. The now more far-reaching proposals were probably made necessary by the functional foods pushing onto the market, which advertise with health claims.

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On April 29th, the GSF - Research Center for Environment and Health, with the support of the Bavarian State Ministry for Environment, Health and Consumer Protection, organized the symposium "Nutrition and Health - Do we eat sick?" In Würzburg. Despite largely empty coffers, more than 80 representatives from municipal and municipal health authorities and ministries, clinics and nutritional advice institutions as well as from health and consumer protection policy came to the conference in Würzburg. The event was organized by FLUGS - the specialist information service for life sciences, the environment and health at the GSF research center. In the context of lectures and panel discussions, the latest research results on various connections between nutrition and health were presented. In the first part of the conference, representatives from universities, specialist clinics and research institutions presented the latest findings from the areas of child health and nutrition as well as obesity and its consequences. The second part of the event focused on the sometimes dramatic increase in food infections in Germany, the quality of food from organic and conventional cultivation as well as finished products and their importance to health.

Ministries, authorities and advisory institutions are concerned with nutrition and health for good reason: "In Germany, too, morbid overweight or obesity has now reached epidemic-like proportions across all age groups and is increasing at an alarming rate, especially among children and adolescents," said Prof. Hans Hauner , Director of the Else Kröner-Fresenius Center for Nutritional Medicine at the Technical University of Munich. The consequences of this development are foreseeable: The German health system expects a drastic increase in diet-related illnesses, which already occupy the first place among the widespread diseases: Type 2 diabetes, diseases of the cardiovascular system or the musculoskeletal system. In view of the modest therapeutic successes to date and negative experiences from prevention studies, Hauner called for a broad-based social effort by all stakeholders, including those from health policy, the school system and the food industry, to at least stop the negative trend in this development.

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Preserving effect discovered for meat products

Crushed raisins can be used as a preservative in meat production and can possibly replace the previously used curing salt sodium nitrite, American scientists at Oregon State University have found out. Studies showed that crushed raisins suppressed the growth of pathogenic bacteria such as Escheria coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes in beef preparations. The multiplication of the microorganisms is inhibited by the high sugar content and the fruit acids in the dried fruit.

American scientists came up with the idea of ​​using raisins as a preserving ingredient in beef preparations because many people like the texture and taste. Another technological advantage of dried fruits: their high content of antioxidant ingredients reduces the formation of undesirable flavors that otherwise arise due to oxidation processes and when they go rancid.

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Like a report, the film shows the way meat as a foodstuff goes from production to slaughtering, cutting and processing to the kitchen. How are pigs, cattle, poultry and fallow deer kept and fattened, how is organic meat produced, what branded meat programs include, what happens in a so-called meat center and how does a food inspection office work. These are just a few questions that the film addresses openly and comprehensively. The film is aimed at the interested consumer. In addition, it is well suited for teaching in general and vocational schools.

aid video "Meat and meat products"
about 30 minutes, order no. 61-8529, ISBN 3-8308-0405-9, price: € 18,00 plus postage and packaging against invoice

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Meat exports rose again

French exporters sold significantly more meat abroad in 2003 than in the previous year. Exports of cattle and meat (excluding offal, poultry, rabbits and game), converted into slaughter weight, totaled just under 1,21 million tons, 6,9 percent more than in 2002.

The exports to the cattle sector included therein have risen significantly; there was an increase of 13,8 percent to 566.100 tons. The increase is primarily due to the 33 percent increase in meat exports. In the case of live cattle for slaughter, there was only an increase of one percent, the export of calves even declined slightly. Around 95 percent of beef exports went to other EU Member States, with Italy and Greece accounting for the lion's share.

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UK consumer prices highest

The price differential in the European Union will widen considerably with the accession of ten other European countries on May 1st. According to the Federal Statistical Office, consumer prices in March 2004 in the United Kingdom, currently the most expensive Member State, were around a third higher than in Luxembourg, where consumers within the previous EU could shop for the cheapest prices. The price level in the ten acceding countries was consistently lower, in some cases even significantly. But there are big differences: consumers in Cyprus, for example, had to spend around a third more on their standard of living than consumers in Poland.

The price comparisons of the Federal Statistical Office were collected in the capitals of the enlarged EU. After that, life in Luxembourg was 1,8 percent cheaper than in Berlin, in Madrid 1,4 percent and in Lisbon 1,2 percent cheaper. In the capitals of all other previous Member States, however, the cost of living was more expensive than in Berlin: in Vienna by 5,8 percent, in Paris by 15,0 percent and in London by 28,0 percent. The cheapest places to shop in March of this year were Warsaw and Prague, namely 28,1 percent and 27,3 percent cheaper than in the German capital.

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In the Netherlands, sales of organically grown potatoes, fruit and vegetables fell in 2003 compared to the previous year by two million euros to 112 million euros. This is the preliminary result of statistical surveys by the Dutch organic umbrella organization Platform Biologica. The market share of this product group in terms of sales thus decreased by 0,2 percentage points to 3,7 percent. According to the Dutch Task Force for the Development of the Organic Market, important reasons for this development are the lower disposable income of Dutch consumers and the price surcharges for organic products compared to conventional goods.

In 2003, however, total organic sales in the Netherlands rose by 6,5 percent to 392 million euros. The supermarkets increased their sales by around 2,2 percent to around 184 million euros. After previous growth in the past year, their market share decreased by one percentage point to around 47 percent. Organic food stores, health food stores and organic butchers increased their sales by around 2,8 percent to 149 million euros. Nevertheless, there was also a loss of market share here, from one percentage point to around 38 percent. In contrast, sales in the catering sector increased so much by 16,7 percent to around 58 million euros that their market share increased by two percentage points to around 15 percent.

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FNL: Proposal for new EU animal transport times knitted with a hot needle

The Sustainable Agriculture Promotion Association (FNL) in Bonn described the failure of the EU negotiations on the standardization of animal transport regulations in the countries of the European Union as not really surprising.

In the words of FNL managing director Dr. Jürgen Fröhling's proposal of the EU Commission to shorten transport times failed, among other things because it was "knitted with a hot needle". The transport times were defined across the board in the draft animal species and the control conditions were formulated much too complicated. "It just makes no sense to stipulate the same transport conditions for chickens as, for example, for horses," said Fröhling. This is also not in the sense of a species-fair attitude. Basically, the FNL regrets that a new regulation of the animal transports with the breakdown of the negotiations has moved into the distance for the time being. The organization assumes that the subject will be dealt with again in two years at the earliest. This means that an opportunity to regulate an important animal welfare problem uniformly across Europe and to improve animal welfare has not been used. In this context, the FNL pointed out that animal transports within Germany have been limited to eight hours since 1999. "Animals for slaughter and breeding must not suffer any avoidable stress either," said Fröhling. Therefore, in addition to limiting and harmonizing transport times within Europe, the FNL advocates, among other things, regular animal species-specific breaks, feeding and watering intervals as well as a special certificate from the transport driver.

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