Bern Food Control placed twice as many advertisements

The canton of Bern examined 9,000 food and drinking water samples in 2023. Of the almost 7,000 food establishments inspected, 274 have been reported, the cantonal laboratory writes. That was almost twice as much as last year. The main reason is believed to be the shortage of skilled labor.

In total, Bern Food Control analyzed almost 13,000 samples, of which 9,023 were assessed under food law. 1,437 samples were rejected because they were unsanitary, spoiled, hazardous to health or incorrectly labelled.

Shortcomings in hygiene or self-control were found at 206 inspected companies, the inspection body wrote in a statement on Thursday. It also identified missing labels, excessive storage temperatures for pre-cooked foods or unhygienically prepared foods.

If there were complaints, the repair of the defects was ordered; if the defects were serious, a criminal complaint was also filed. This happened in 274 cases, almost twice as often as the year before. (2022: 140 ads). Ten companies have closed (2022: two closures).

Cantonal chemist Otmar Deflorin suspected that the shortage of skilled labor was the reason for the extraordinarily high numbers. “If there are fewer staff available, hygiene is often first compromised. Not only does the superficial cleanliness of a company suffer, but also the microbiological properties of the food.”

The number of company inspections in food companies (restaurants, cheese dairies, bakeries, drinking water suppliers and agricultural companies) was comparable to the year before at 6,883 (2022: 7,010).

The Cantonal Laboratory is an office of the Directorate of Economy, Energy and Environment and employs approximately 70 people. It is responsible for the inspection of food and food establishments, everyday items such as tableware, cosmetics and toys, as well as bath and drinking water.

It also monitors agricultural, environmental protection, chemical and radiation protection legislation with targeted samples. (rbu/sda)