HOW SAFE ARE VEGETABLES FROM THE SUPERMARKET?

We love organic food” and “we love sustainability”: These are just two of the many cheerful slogans that one of Germany’s largest supermarket chains uses to promote the quality of the food it sells. But love alone is apparently not enough to keep food fresh and safe at that chain and at least three others that were monitored by the consumer magazine Market. Inspectors found moldy fruit and rotting vegetables at 15 of the 17 supermarkets they visited. And it wasn’t just a moldy strawberry here or there: The inspectors found rotting bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, tangerines, lemons, and lettuce that should never have been offered for sale. In some cases, the produce items were still on the shelf the next day. “The markets are failing to exercise due diligence,” says consumer advocate Armin Valet. “Consumers are being sold unsafe food that they should not be eating under any circumstances.” Substandard and counterfeit food items can be found on supermarket shelves around the world, and authorities are trying to do something about it. In 2020 international police agencies Europol and INTERPOL conducted Operation OPSON for the ninth time, targeting crime organizations involved in these activities. With the cooperation of 83 countries, the operation dismantled 19 organized crime groups and resulted in the arrest of more than 400 suspects. Police conducted more than 25,000 inspections and seized more than 13,000 tons of illegal and hazardous merchandise. The seizures included dairy products, olive oil, cereals, tea, coffee, condiments, as well as alcoholic beverages. As part of this operation, U.S. authorities also seized 324 pounds of apricot kernels that were being sold as a “cancer cure.” INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock points out the danger that counterfeiting poses: “The scale and variety of the food and drink seized is a warning to be vigilant about what you buy.”