Marler Clark LLP, PS (LexBlog Austria)

Food safety is among the topics that Austrians have a high level of trust in, according to a poll. The 2022 risk perception survey focused on health, the environment, climate change and nutrition. It was done online in March 2022 with more than 600 people. The aim was to gauge concern of the population about...

The number of outbreaks and people affected in them plummeted in Austria in 2020 compared to the year before. The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) reported there were only 21 outbreaks this past year that affected 67 people. In 2019, 48 outbreaks sickened 793 people, including two that involved more than 300...

The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) has published a report looking at the Campylobacter situation in the country. In 2020, there were 5,162 cases of Campylobacter reported, which is down from almost 8,000 in 2018 and more than 6,000 in 2019. COVID-19 restrictions and less travel may have played a role in this...

Austrian officials have published results of different checks on raw milk, for antimicrobial resistance in meat and as part of Operation Opson. A check on raw, unpasteurized milk looked at its microbiological status and for residues of cleaning agents. A total of 73 samples from across the country were taken and 23 were non-compliant. Austria’s...

Austrian authorities are investigating an outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infections that has affected a handful of people. Between September and December 2020, six people fell ill with infections from E. coli O146:H28. Those sick live in five federal states. Two people needed hospital treatment. As yet, there is no indication as to...

Fewer than 50 foodborne outbreaks were reported across Austria this past year but two of them involved more than 300 people. In connection with the 48 outbreaks, 793 people became ill. This is a sharp increase compared to 222 patients in 52 outbreaks in 2018. Two large outbreaks were recorded in 2019, one caused by...

Scientists in Austria have investigated where biofilms hide and what bacteria can be found in them. Biofilms are proven sources of contamination in the food industry. They can cause additional costs in production and can be a danger to consumer health. Researchers at the unit of food microbiology at Vetmeduni Vienna looked at biofilms in...

Thirteen people were part of a Listeria outbreak after eating liver pâté in Austria at the end of this past year and one person died. The outbreak strain had not been detected previously in Austria but no linked cases were found after an international alert, according to a report published in the journal Eurosurveillance. In Austria,...

Officials in Austria are investigating three different outbreaks caused by Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria. The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) reported the source of the Salmonella outbreak has been identified but the vehicle of infection for the E. coli and Listeria outbreaks are still unknown. In the Salmonella outbreak, 235 people...

Limited progress has been made in Austria on improving the system to reduce microbiological contamination of food of non-animal origin (FNAO), according to DG Sante. The unit responsible for the European Commission’s policies on health and food safety led a follow-up audit to Austria last year. The audit from June 12 to 20, 2018 included...

European and member state agencies have held a workshop on preparedness for a multi‐national food safety and public health incident. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Austrian Health and Food Security Agency (AGES) and German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) jointly developed the workshop. A total...

Week-old speculation about frozen corn being responsible for a three-year listeriosis outbreak in Europe, which has had an 18.75  percent fatality rate, is probably correct. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) jointly published a rapid outbreak assessment today (March 22) that says frozen corn  is the...