After analysis, it turned out that the steaks were not meat, but a mixture of skin, fat, soy and starch.
Since July 2018, 780 tons of faux minced steaks were delivered to several charities such as La Croix Rouge, Les Restos du Cœur, Secours Populaire Français and the French Federation of Food Banks, for a total cost of 5.2 million euros, reveals this Friday RTL.
A mix of skin, fat, soy and starch
The alert was only given in March, when the associations realized that the color, taste and texture of the meat were suspect. Distribution to the poorest was suspended and the steaks sent to the fraud prevention services.
After analysis, it turned out that the steaks “did not contain meat but fat, not muscle but skin. All mixed with soy and starch, non-authorized products in minced steaks, with a reuse also of processed meat”. In short, these steaks were not meat, but a mix of skin, fat, soy and starch (a carbohydrate).
Two years in prison and a million euro fine
Manufactured in Poland for lower production costs, the French company sold nearly 7 million of these fake steaks. “Another French company seems to have acted as an intermediary. The managers of these two French companies were heard by the investigators, specifies the General Directorate for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF) in a communicated. The French authorities also seized the Polish authorities on June 5 via the “food fraud” network to extend the investigation in Poland.
According to the DGCCRF, “theThe facts brought to light are indeed likely to be qualified as deception in an organized gang, which constitutes a criminal offence”. The Secretary of State to the Minister of the Economy, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, confirmed to RTL: “It’s criminal, we go up to two years in prison, it’s a million euro fine, we will pass it on to the prosecutor and it is out of the question that this type of attitude will happen again”.
Fortunately, “the microbiological analyzes carried out show that there is no danger to the health of consumers”. But associations asked in a joint statement “financial compensation to meet the storage costs generated by this situation”.
