The supermarket has been shut to the public
SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 14th January (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Nature Protection Service (SEPRONA) at Playa de Las Américas (Tenerife), in conjunction with the Canary Islands Health Service, has confiscated 25 tonnes of food deemed unfit for human consumption that was displayed for sale in a supermarket located in the Las Chafiras Industrial Estate.
This was communicated by the Civil Guard in a statement, adding that the establishment is currently closed, and the owner has been charged with a violation against public health, alongside the initiation of administrative disciplinary proceedings due to the various irregularities identified.
The investigation was prompted by agents at a supermarket where they observed and confirmed several irregularities that posed significant health risks to consumers.
Consequently, they notified the Canary Health Service to carry out a comprehensive inspection of the entire establishment, which lasted over five hours.
Within, various food items (meat, canned goods, processed products, frozen fish) were discovered lacking the requisite hygiene and safety standards for consumption.
These items were found on shelves, in freezer cabinets, or in cold storage, ready for purchase, yet lacking labels and with their origin unknown.
THE MEAT ON DISPLAY WAS EXPIRED
The meat discovered by the agents in the display cases and in an internal cold storage room was either expired or unlabelled, thus obscuring its composition and origin.
Meanwhile, the fish was also frozen, being sold packaged without any form of labelling, with expiration dates long passed, and some even showing signs of deterioration due to breaches in the cold chain.
The Civil Guard emphasised that in one of the displays was bluefin tuna in portions of two to three kilograms, packaged by the establishment itself and without any labelling, alongside numerous whole pieces of this species stored unlabelled inside a cold room. The person responsible for the establishment could not provide documentation to substantiate its lawful origin.
After all the merchandise was evaluated by the technicians from the Canary Island Health Service, and upon confirming it was unfit for human consumption, it was withdrawn from sale for subsequent destruction by an authorised manager.