Deceiving the consumer has been replaced by scaring the consumer in order to make money from advertising. False information, fake news and serious claims appear on various dubious websites that resemble standard news portals.
Recently, a hoax appeared about the alleged importation of "poisoned" and "highly objectionable" meat to the Czech Republic. This is a lie. The fact is that only meat can be imported to the EU harmonized market from importers who have met strict conditions, passed through the sieve of multiple checks, certifications and permits. This also applies to imports from third countries, imports from Ukraine, for example. Every fresh product that crosses the EU borders is checked by the relevant customs administration and veterinarians.
"The aim of these hoaxes is not to warn consumers, but in addition to damage, to get clicks and make money from online advertising," comments retail analyst Tibor Tabery from the Slovak agency MEDIAN Store, adding: "The retail chains themselves regularly check suppliers directly at their processing plants. And very strictly. The reputation of these suppliers is generally very high."
The failure of authorities or controls that would benevolently release "poisoned food" into the market is also a lie. In 2023, for example, veterinarians from the State Veterinary and Food Administration of the Slovak Republic took 22 official samples of poultry meat originating from Ukraine, which were subjected to laboratory examinations. All samples met the requirements of the applicable legislation. Out of a total of 540 poultry and rabbit meat samples taken in 2023, only three samples did not meet the microbiological requirements, all of which were from Poland.
In the event of the occurrence of defective food, the legislation orders chains and suppliers to promptly withdraw the product from the market, warn and inform consumers not to consume the product of the given batch. For example, at the end of 2023, the well-known chain of hypermarkets removed packages of ground turkey meat from Hungary in Slovakia. The presence of Salmonella bacteria was confirmed in the meat sample. The recalled batch cannot be purchased. Salmonella is a genus of bacteria from the Enterobacteriaceae family. The fact is that it is not a poison or any chemical. There are over 2200! species of salmonella, while only 4 of them cause digestive infections in humans.
Check the facts and don't believe the hoaxes. The Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic or the website hoaxyapodvody.sk also draw attention to this. Hoaxes are usually spread by websites that claim to be "independent news" or "citizen media". These are sites with unknown owners and non-transparent financing. Their goals are not noble and they do not care about people's health either. They just want to get clicks and make money from online advertising through enticing or warning headlines.
Source: MEDIAN Store