The catering company UAB „CNC catering“ has received a consignment of frozen chicken thighs (boneless and skinless) imported into Lithuania, in which pathogenic organisms have been detected in the meat, specifically the bacterium Salmonella Enteritidis. These pathogenic organisms cause gastroenteritis, which is characterised by fever, diarrhoea (possibly with blood), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

The State Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) recorded the event on 7 November.

The products were brought into the country from Poland by the wholesaler UAB "Vestey Foods Baltic" in Panevėžys, and the frozen meat of chicken thighs ended up in the warehouse of UAB "Handelshus".

Rima Vinčaitė, director of UAB „CNC catering“, told Agrobitei“ that the company only buys food products and raw materials from reliable suppliers registered and operating in Lithuania.

„When signing supply agreements with suppliers, we constantly monitor the suppliers' performance and the quality of the products they supply. If we find that a supplier's products do not meet the required quality or safety requirements, we immediately take strict action," explained R. Vinčaitė. The unsafe products you mentioned were immediately suspended. The supplier was contacted urgently and warned of its liability for breach of contract. All safety measures have been taken and only safe and healthy food is supplied to the market. We ensure that all necessary preventive measures are implemented to avoid similar situations in the future.

The main source of Salmonella infection is domestic and wild animals and birds. Salmonella is introduced into the environment in the faeces of these animals. Humans can also be a source of infection through salmonellosis.