Meat disinfected and newly labeled

Scandal in Mallorca

Gammed meat with bleaching aid “disinfected”

In Mallorca, investigators have secured spoiled meat that was manipulated for the sale. Five suspects sit in custody.

During a raid in Palma de Mallorca, investigators secured 231 kilos of spoiled food – the meat was manipulated, bleached and partly with an expired consumption date in retail. Five employees of a food sales are in custody. The accusation: a suspected crime against public health, since it is said to have processed and sold spoiled meat for human consumption.

The method: The exterior layers of the spoiled meat were cut off, the remnants with bleaching aids were “disinfected”. So the products should give a fresh impression – although the expiry date had long been exceeded. After the meat had been treated by the company’s employees, according to a report by the “Mallorca newspaper”, the administrative staff took care of the change and “legalization” of the batch numbers of these products.

The starting point of the investigation is a video that was recorded by a witness. It shows an employee who treated meat, the expiry date of which had already expired in 2023, with bleaching agents.

In a secured video you can see how an employee routinely crushes meat pieces and processed in the sink. Without every shyness, he reaches for a large bottle with bleach, which he pours generously over the meat. He then rubs the chemical substance into the already decaying fabric – dark spots disappear, the meat looks lighter.

The authorities urgently warn of the risks: “Processing and eating expired meat are a serious danger to health,” said the Directorate General for Public Health. Therefore, it is essential that consumption data is strictly observed – even in the further processing.

The investigation continues. It is currently still unclear which quantities of the manipulated meat have already been traded. The investigation runs under the code name “Operation Exspiratum” – a joint action by the Guardia Civil and the health authority of the Balearic Islands. The focus is on a sales company based in Palma.