The government has now guaranteed that salami produced and sold in the country is fit for human consumption. A study by the Health Ministry, the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), the National Doctor Fefillo Laboratory, the Nutrition Institute of Central America and Panama and the Industrial Biotechnology Institute (IBBI), found that sodium nitrate levels have decreased substantially, protein levels are adequate and all salami tested negative for fecal contamination.
The information was released at a press conference at the Presidential Palace, yesterday Tuesday, 5 February headed by the Minister for Public Health, Freddy Hidalgo and attended by the Minister of Industry and Commerce Jose del Castillo, Vice Presidency Minister Luis Henry Molina, Director General of Standards and Quality Systems Manuel Guerrero, National Consumer Rights Protection Institute Director of the Altagracia Paulino, and Bernarda Castillo, executive director of the Institute for Innovation in Biotechnology and Industry.
The Health Minister said that the study covered 22 processing plants and 103 products. One of the processors had been closed due to the presence of fecal contamination, and seven are under observation due to high sodium nitrate levels, even though they are within acceptable limits. They have been given up to two weeks to solve the issue or they will be closed.
www.listindiario.com/la-republica/2013/2/5/264859/Gobierno-concluye-que-el-salami-si-es-apto-para-el-consumo