A series of checks carried out by the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Health, in agreement with the Ministry of Health, in 1,058 catering companies throughout Italy operating within school canteens of all levels, from nursery schools to institutes superiors, highlighted irregularities in about a third of them (341), ascertaining 482 criminal and administrative violations, with fines of 240 thousand euros, contested due to violations in food management and hygienic conditions in the meal preparation rooms.
As part of the controls, the suspension of the activity or the seizure of 9 kitchen areas operating within the school canteens was also ordered due to significant hygienic-sanitary and structural deficiencies, such as the widespread presence of humidity and mould. Over 700 kg of foodstuffs (meat, cheese, fruit and vegetables, oil) were then seized, found to lack traceability, expired and stored in inadequate environments. Particular situations concerned the referral to the Judicial Authority of 22 canteen service managers held responsible for the crimes of fraud and non-compliance with public supplies, the possession of food in a poor state of conservation and non-compliance with workplace safety legislation. The investigations by the NAS also revealed the fraudulent use of ingredients of lower quality than that agreed in the supply contracts stipulated with the Municipalities, such as Parmigiano DOP replaced with other cheeses, conventional eggs instead of organic ones and frozen products instead of fresh ones. The absence of one of the ingredients was also ascertained, as happened at an institute in the province of Caserta, where the pupils were given the ‘pasta and potatoes’ dish without the presence of potatoes. The majority of infractions, equal to 85%, concerned aspects of administrative sanctions such as structural and plant deficiencies in the rooms used for preparing meals, failure to implement self-monitoring, traceability and the presence of allergens, fundamental elements for preventing possible episodes of intoxication and allergic reactions, even more significant in the sensitive groups of school users. In one episode, the Nas of Potenza discovered a toilet used as an impromptu storage of crockery and kitchen utensils.
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