Spanish freezer fear

By James Bryce

SHOPPERS are being put at risk of food poisoning due to the poor maintenance of fridges and freezers in supermarkets.

More than a third of cold storage units in Spain are unsuitable, meaning retailers are breaking strict rules governing frozen goods.

A survey of 716 refrigerated and frozen products across 179 commercial outlets found that 35 per cent of units were in breach of guidelines.

Inaccurate thermometers were partly to blame, with some recording temperatures up to eight degrees lower than the actual temperature.

The survey by the Organisation of Consumers and Users (OCU) included lasagne, tortilla and cooked hams as well as frozen fish and vegetables

The OCU also found that 68 per cent of ready meals and 55 per cent of chilled meats were stored at higher than recommended temperatures.

The same problem was detected for 16 per cent of frozen vegetables and 13 per cent of frozen fish.