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Many Swiss people enjoy a fondue chinoise at Christmas. Individual meat platters from Aldi, Lidl and Migros were found to have questionable concentrations of bacteria in the "Saldo" test.
Picture: Keystone
A test of frozen fondue chinoise meat platters found dangerous bacteria in two of them. Meat from Aldi and Lidl was heavily contaminated. Coop and Migros products were also tested.
A test of frozen fondue chinoise meat platters, commissioned by the consumer magazine "Saldo", shows that most products are safe.
12 out of 16 frozen fondues chinoises were flawless. The laboratory found bacteria in the products in question that could pose a serious health risk, but also some that were harmless.
The laboratory tested fondue plates from Aldi, Coop, Lidl and Migros. The products contained meat from beef, pork, veal, chicken and turkey.
Listeria monocytogenes, which can lead to serious illness, was discovered in the turkey rolls from Aldi. In the worst cases, these bacteria can even be fatal.
In 2023, eleven people in Switzerland died from such an infection. However, the listeria that the test team discovered in Lidl and Migros products does not pose a health risk.
The veal portioned for fondue chinoise from Lidl was contaminated with EHEC bacteria, a strain of coliform bacteria(Escherichia coli) that produce strong cytotoxins.
These can lead to bloody diarrhea and other serious symptoms. In rare cases, the toxins can also damage organs such as the kidneys or heart.
Despite the complaints, Migros, Aldi and Lidl emphasize that their products are safe when prepared correctly. They point out the importance of kitchen hygiene on the packaging.
Zurich cantonal chemist Martin Brunner explains that there are no specific limits for listeria and EHEC bacteria in these products, which is why no official controls are carried out.
The Federal Food Safety Office is calling on manufacturers to withdraw potentially dangerous products from sale. Fresh meat platters can also be contaminated with pathogens, as a previous "Gesundheitstipp" test showed.
The German laboratory that examined the samples tested for various pathogens and multi-resistant germs.
It also measured the total bacterial count, as unclean appliances and inadequate cooling can increase this. It was found that none of the fondue chinoise meat platters tested contained multi-resistant bacteria.
The editor wrote this article with the help of AI.
