French authorities have recently suspected food safety risks in mussel cans from the Spanish Galician Autonomous Region, according to the French newspaper El Pais. More than 50 people in Marseilles, southern France, were reported to have suffered from food poisoning two months ago after eating canned mussels from Galicia, and the cause is still under investigation. Up to now, the French authorities have not submitted a formal report to the Galician Autonomous Government on this matter, nor have they asked the Galician Parliament to intervene in solving the problem. However, the French authorities have updated the "early warning of imported mussel products" since October 1st this year.

 

 

 

It was also reported that within days of the early warning, the French authorities had again uploaded warnings to the European Union's Rapid Early Warning System for Food and Feed through a computer network and had requested a bilateral technical meeting with the Spanish Food Consumption, Safety and Nutrition Supervision Agency (AECOSAN) as soon as possible to clarify the above. The origin of food poisoning incidents has yet to be received from the health department in Spain. It is understood that Spain has promptly notified the Galician Institute for Marine Environment Technology and Control (INTECMAR) of the warning and ordered it to investigate the root causes of the problem and submit an investigation report. However, the Galician authorities emphasized that although the local authorities had tried to give some explanation, the French side maintained that no reply had been received.

 

 

 

According to a spokesman for the Galician Secretariat for Ocean Affairs, the Spanish mussel industry as a whole is still awaiting further clarification. However, despite the French alarm, it does not affect Galicia's assurance of adequate supplies of mussel cans to France this year. According to reports, in addition to mussels canned caused by the "food poisoning" problem, in fact, the recent occurrence of "red tide" in California is also quite cause for concern. Nearly 90 percent of mussel farms in Galicia were recently forced to close temporarily because red tides have posed a deadly threat to local clams (cockles) and other shellfish. According to the latest report from the Galician Autonomous Government, 75 shellfish raft zones in about 22 aquaculture farms remain closed, mainly in the estuaries of Vigo and Pontwedra.

 

 

 

However, Rosa Quinta, Galicia's Minister of fisheries for ocean affairs, pointed out that up to now, there is no up-to-date data to prove that the mussel safety warning in Marseilles, France, was only directed at Galicia. Before getting the latest updates, she said, she had to think that the cultured mussels produced in Galicia were "absolutely guaranteed to be controllable and traceable". She also stressed: "what we want is the factual basis of France."