Those responsible, who have not declared any type of activity, promoted themselves online as “slow food”.
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Health closes down a clandestine food preparation
They organised illegal gastronomic events in which they sold food purchased in supermarkets as their organic products.
Inspectors from the General Directorate of Public Health together with SEPRONA agents closed down on Friday 8th March a clandestine activity of organising events and clandestine sale of food in a private house located in “fora vila” in a plot between Felanitx and Manacor.
The Food Safety Service initiated the investigation after learning that the company was promoting itself through several magazines and social networks in which it advertised itself as “slow food” in Mallorca. This company lacks the corresponding administrative registrations, including the sanitary one, so it is a clandestine company, without any kind of control of food safety conditions. The company produced and served meals on a regular basis and also for private events, such as weddings.
In addition, it offered for sale on its website eggs and canned vegetables which it advertised as “organic from its production”, although it does not have organic production certification. All the products were offered without the mandatory food labelling. As the products were produced without any sanitary control, they were considered unfit for consumption.
The company marketed its services and products on the web in a clandestine manner, without complying with the regulatory precepts for the sale of products on the internet, as it does not identify the company name at any time. Nor did it provide information on the menu of the events, or information on the place where the meals were served, or whether they might contain any type of allergen or substance that could cause intolerances, until after the products or services had been purchased. It offered local products, such as wines, without having a food retail licence.
The Food Safety Service has programmed the control of the company with the collaboration of SEPRONA. In addition, and according to the findings of the control, it is estimated that the consumer has been misled by the offer of products, such as cider, wine or oil, which, having been produced by industrial brands and sold in supermarkets, had their labels removed and were passed off as “own production” and organic foodstuffs. Pre-event information included messages such as: “Please bring cash to the event. We offer a selection of local wines for purchase, along with fresh produce from our farm available at our stand”.
The precautionary measures taken by the Food Safety Service for the protection of health have been to suspend the activity of preparing and serving ready meals, as well as the production and sale of other foodstuffs. In addition to the immobilisation of all foodstuffs present on the site. The products produced in-house are considered unfit for consumption, the rest of the products will be detained until their origin and food safety can be verified.
The actions will be communicated to other competent authorities for the development of the mandatory additional control actions in tax, labour, livestock, agricultural, consumer rights protection and declarations of origin or different types of certified production such as organic.
The Regional Ministry of Health reminds us of the dangers of purchasing foodstuffs whose origin is unknown, and it is therefore important to be wary of websites that do not identify the company name, location or price.