Food safety failures found in Finnish grocery stores

A Yle investigation found that some Finnish grocery stores are storing fish, meat, and fresh produce at temperatures that are too warm, with the situation worsening each year.

Emeritus professor of bacteriology Pentti Huovinen expressed disappointment in the stores’ self-monitoring systems, stating that the success rate should be 100%. “The results are alarming. A significant number of food stores appear to have failed in self-monitoring,” Huovinen said.

According to Yle’s findings, K-market was selling cold cuts at 14°C. The K-group had issues in 7% of inspections, while the S-group had problems in 2%. Only Lidl passed the inspection without violations, as it sells meat and fish only in pre-packaged form.

Huovinen generally considers Finnish food safe but warns consumers to be especially cautious with sushi and tartare, which contain raw fish or meat. “With raw meat or fish, it is extremely important that we can trust the products to be safe,” he said.

Common bacteria causing stomach issues include salmonella and campylobacter, which can spread through undercooked poultry, minced meat, eggs, unpasteurised milk, and imported salads or sprouts. EHEC bacteria can spread via contaminated food such as raw minced meat, unpasteurised milk, or water.