"Only togetherness for more consumer protection"

At the fifth meeting of the QS Board of Trustees on February 11.02.2004, XNUMX, Mr. Wolfgang Apel, President of the German Animal Welfare Association, “canceled” the German Animal Welfare Association's involvement in the further development and implementation of the QS system. The QS Board of Trustees regrets the withdrawal of the German Animal Welfare Association from participating in the broad implementation of QS. Not working against each other, but only working together could gradually introduce the changes in the keeping of farm animals, which the animal welfare association has called for years, into the daily practice of animal husbandry. The regret by the Board of Trustees relates not only to the termination itself, but in particular to the underlying misunderstanding about the goals of the QS system and what this cross-level security partnership can achieve in the first few years of its existence.

QS is an external quality management and auditing system that dynamically adapts to the growing requirements and represents a service instrument for continuous process improvement for all stages of food production. QS thus implements the guarantees expected by the food producers about compliance with the legally prescribed minimum standards and fulfills further additional criteria voluntarily agreed by the individual levels. The standards can be further developed at any time.

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60 percent of German slaughter pigs are produced according to QS criteria

The QS system is becoming more and more popular in German food production. In the pig sector, almost 60% of German slaughter pigs are currently produced in accordance with QS requirements. In the cattle sector, too, the numbers have risen in recent months: 46% of young bulls and around 20% of slaughter cows and heifers are produced in accordance with the QS criteria. The QS scheme has established itself most widely in poultry: more than 70% of chicken and turkey production is integrated in the QS scheme. 

The number of QS farms increases to the same extent as the number of animals for slaughter in the QS scheme. 794 companies (scheme contracts) are currently participating in the QS scheme. This is backed by around 51.100 farms, including almost 42.000 farms. Another 8.700 locations are pending certification. 

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The "foodwatch eV" from Berlin reported on January 14.01.2004th, XNUMX at a press conference with a "report" on the QS scheme. The supposedly "detailed information" turns out to be incomplete compilation about the QS scheme. We regard the report as a one-sided, sometimes outdated view with tendentious value statements. At the same time, we are disappointed with this type of presentation. The expenditures and efforts of all system participants for increased food safety are not given due recognition.

QS stands for transparency and comprehensible consumer protection. Accordingly, we will carefully examine this "report" and deal with it in an objective and clear manner.

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"Quality and safety" at a bargain price? - 40-page report for download

At the International Green Week in Berlin, foodwatch sharply criticized the QS certification mark, which the food industry organizes on its own. “Neither the quality nor the safety promises can be kept”, sums up Matthias Wolfschmidt when presenting the 40-page QA report from foodwatch. According to current research by foodwatch, a lack of BSE tests has also been found at slaughterhouses that are QS-certified.

Matthias Wolfschmidt developed the foodwatch study on QS

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Dermalux® System: Immediately visualize and train more effectively with the fluorescence method

The personnel in the food and pharmaceutical industry as well as in the catering industry need hand hygiene training just like employees, trainees and students in hospitals as well as in care facilities: Training with the Dermalux® system enables all training steps within one training unit: The dangers of cross-contamination, the Even when shaking hands can be made visible just as quickly as the correct hand disinfection and hand cleaning can be demonstrated and the recommended skin protection measures. If you traditionally needed the contact test with an incubation period of up to 48 hours to detect the contamination of hands, the fluorescence method can be used to make invisible soiling on the hands of the training participants immediately visible during the training.

With the Dermalux® system, controls are not necessarily carried out; above all, hygiene awareness is raised in a simple and extremely effective way in a matter of seconds. Test results have shown this for years. Very soon the trainer develops a feeling for the communication possibilities of the training system and can convey learning content according to his individual ideas or vary the fun factor for the participants without "showing" someone in a way that is uncomfortable for him.

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The skin protection control with the Dermalux® system

As part of the recommended preventive measures, the didactic advantages of the Dermalux® system as part of the skin protection training courses and controls have proven to be a convincing aid. The possible uses are very broad and can be individually designed by the instructors. The training system is suitable for all those responsible in training centers, company medical practices and centers as well as for affected companies and clinics that are active in the field of professional dermatology. In addition, it has been shown in many areas such as the pharmaceutical and food industry or clinical hygiene and in the entire care sector that the combination options of elements of skin protection training and the instructions on personal hygiene that the training system opens up are perceived as particularly helpful.

For the first time it is possible to make visible that skin protection can only work where the skin protection ointments are correctly applied. Nothing could speak more convincingly for the need for skin protection than the feeling of vulnerability felt by a test person who can see the "unprotected" areas on the hands for the first time. Here the learning process starts immediately. This was already proven by the first studies at the University Clinic in Jena under the direction of Professor Peter Elsner a few years ago, and the various scientific projects currently under way have now confirmed these results. A success also for KBD GmbH, who worked out and developed the Dermalux system together with Professor Elsner on the basis of his fluorescence method, which was previously widely published in Switzerland. A special feature is that the communication specialist Karin Bartling-Dudziak, whose initials are hidden behind the company name, has succeeded, together with Professor Elsner in Germany and Switzerland, in numerous early partners in the leading industry and, for example, in the employers' liability insurance association to inspire the didactic special module. Today they are not only customers of KBD GmbH, but have also been very committed to contributing their specialist knowledge to the prosperity of the project and the dissemination of the methodology. Among other things, this has resulted in KBD GmbH now in a team with such companies stretching out feelers to nearer and further foreign countries and attracting considerable attention there.

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RIA "Novosti" correspondent Yuri Nikolajew reports that Buenos Aires is asking Moscow to open up the Russian market for Argentine meat and soy supplies more broadly.

"If this request is granted, Argentina will vote in favor of Russia joining the World Trade Organization," said the newspaper "Clarin", which appears in the Argentine capital, citing government sources.

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The Dutch "Productschap Pluimvee en Eieren (PPE)" (Economic Group for Poultry and Eggs) has decided against the background of the avian influenza that is rampant in Asia to ban free-range poultry farming for member companies. It should initially apply until April 30, 2004. The aim is to prevent avian influenza from being introduced into unprotected free-range holdings via wild and migratory birds. The Dutch poultry industry only suffered millions in damage last year from an avian influenza disease caused by an H7N7 influenza virus. According to studies by the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the virus was most likely introduced via wild ducks. The PPE urges the Dutch hobby poultry farmers to keep their animals in the barn as a precaution. A request was made to the EU to continue to market eggs and meat from free-range hens and fattening animals kept in stalls as "free-range eggs" and labeled "free-range".

More about the problem of free-range husbandry:

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A total of 72 country-specific products are given a special place throughout the year in the 213 stores of the food discounter NETTO in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. In the form of a "Regional Corner", six different specialties from the country are presented in monthly rotation under the heading "Das Gute" in the branches. "In particular, small traditional businesses are given the opportunity to market their products in a special way. The customer will find an attractive and varied range of local goods," emphasized the Minister of Agriculture at the inauguration of a "Regional Corner" in Rostock. The campaign is supported by the Agrarmarketing Mecklenburg-Vorpommern eV association

The range includes products such as sea buckthorn jelly from Molkerei-Naturprodukte GmbH. Rügen, highland coffee from the company PEGEMA from Rostock, dark beer bread from the Mecklenburg bakeries and dark beer from the Stralsund brewery as well as the premium dishes from the Mecklenburger Landpute.

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Demand receives impulses

Events at the livestock and meat markets should be back to normal in the coming weeks of March, after trade was disrupted at least regionally by carnival and carnival in February. In the course of the month, the focus will be increasingly on finer cuts of the individual types of meat as part of stockpiling purchases for Easter. This means that fixed prices can be expected, especially for young bulls, calves for slaughter and lambs; for slaughter cows and slaughter pigs, the proceeds should at least be stable. Young bulls bring fixed prices

More young bulls are expected to be slaughtered in March than in the previous month, but the number of young bulls is likely to remain smaller than in previous years. The cattle census results of November 2003 already indicated this development. The supply tendency is confirmed by the fact that the number of slaughters has been a good one percent lower since the beginning of the year. The limited number of young bulls can presumably be sold smoothly. With a view to the Easter holidays at the beginning of April, the slaughter companies are likely to stock up on more noble cuts. The producer prices for young bulls will therefore continue to point slightly upwards in March. Strong premium is hardly to be expected, however, since the prices rose relatively significantly in February. At least that is what the current price development suggests. The producer prices will probably not come close to the result of March 2003; From today's perspective, a price gap of just under 20 cents per kilogram is likely to remain.

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Further openings planned for 2004

The number of organic supermarkets in Germany with a sales area of ​​at least 200 square meters has increased by 40 stores in each of the past two years and now totals almost 200. The stores have an average retail area of ​​350 square meters. In 2004, another 25 new openings are planned.

In France, exactly 2003 organic supermarkets were recorded in 269, and an estimated 100 in Italy. There are around 35 such offers in the Netherlands, while Spain has around 20 organic supermarkets. In Austria there are only two larger organic supermarkets in the capital Vienna, since organically produced food is mainly marketed there through traditional food retailers.

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