40% of bakers fail food safety tests

More than 40% of bakers who have been tested by the federal food safety agency this year received a warning regarding one or more aspects of food safety, according to figures from the agency. So far this year the agency has carried out 1.440 inspections, resulting in 589 warnings being issued. In 124 cases, infringements were serious enough for a official report to be drafted, while 13 shops were closed for a time because of food safety issues.

The main problem was the storage of foodstuffs at temperatures above those recommended. Other problems included the presence of pets or vermin, as well as personal hygiene and administrative errors.

The bakers' federation said the figures did not necessarily show that bakers are unhygienic; breaches could concern documents, for example, a spokesman said. “Or perhaps a container of custard has not been closed properly, or there is no date attached”.

The food safety agency, meanwhile, pointed out that though the number of infringements may seem high, things are getting better: the numbers this year so far are down by 6% on those for 2012.