For years, Ukraine supplied Czechia with chicken contaminated with salmonella

Ukraine supplied the Czech Republic with chilled chicken contaminated with salmonella, which was sold there, including in the large supermarket chain Tesco.

Following an inspection, this was reported by the Czech State Agricultural and Food Inspection Authority SZPI.

Its online archive indicates that contaminated chilled and frozen chicken meat has been imported from Ukraine to the Czech Republic for more than a year: previously, batches of chicken breast fillets, steaks, deep-frozen boneless legs, and other products had already been withdrawn from sale.

In all cases—including the current one—the Ukrainian products were contaminated with the pathogenic bacterium Salmonella Infantis, which causes salmonellosis, the Czech regulator said. A control sample was taken by inspectors on September 2 at a supermarket in the city of Brno. However, the authority stressed that chicken from the same batch was sold in many other stores as well. Since the product’s use-by date has already expired, it is no longer on sale. Nevertheless, SZPI urged residents of the Czech Republic to check their freezer supplies to make sure they did not purchase the hazardous product.

SZPI said that measures to withdraw the unsafe chicken were “taken immediately.” Information about the supplier was made public much later due to the need to “complete the investigation and resolve legal issues.”