Asem company announced yesterday the presence of salmonella in “Zabar” hummus. The source of the problem is probably one of the raw materials used to manufacture the product. As a precaution, the company decided to collect the products from those production lines, in coordination with the food service at the Ministry of Health.
Asem announced the presence of salmonella in “Zabar” hummus The full list of products
Prof. Hagi Levin, chairman of the Association of Public Health Physicians, spoke with Anat Davidov this evening (Wednesday) on her program on 103FM, and commented on the case: “As we have seen in previous events – we are at the beginning of an event, and we do not know how it will unfold. An extensive and independent investigation should be done. It reveals the hidden work that the Ministry of Health does to protect our health.”
“Let’s see how the event unfolds, for now we don’t know of any cases of illness, we need to continue to investigate. I’m not very worried about the story, but I am worried about the poor state of food inspection in Israel – it’s a neglected system that doesn’t receive the necessary resources and tools,” he added and emphasized: Today we depend on industrialized food, which is more vulnerable in terms of the possibilities for infections. I don’t remember there being a recall of natural fruits and vegetables.”
When asked about the number of inspectors working on the issue on behalf of the Ministry of Health, he replied: “We have a small number of veterinarians, after all, some of the food comes from animals, and there is a need for close supervision. Today there is a crisis that is also reflected in the sanctions on the food services at the Ministry of Health. Manpower is very limited in the field which requires so much professionalism. After all, we need someone who will be responsible for the dairies and who will be a professional who will work together with the teams at the district health bureaus, who do the inspections in the field.”
He further added on the subject: “There aren’t even vehicles in this setup, and people have to travel to inspections by bus, and this limits us and the ability to carry out the inspection in real time and quickly. It’s every day, and we want the eyes and hands of the Ministry of Health to check what’s happening on the production line “.
In addition, Levin also referred to the recall case that Strauss experienced, and the lessons learned from it: “Since these are for-profit corporations, I do not trust them blindly. The more inspectors there are, the less delay there is. I hope that the new government that will be formed will put health at the top of its agenda, and not at the bottom Priority”.
Assisted in the preparation of the article: Eden Ben Ari, 103fm.