Food safety authorities say that more than 17 tons of turkey meat and organs originating from farms in Hungary where there have been outbreaks of bird flu have reached Romania.
The Health Veterinary Authority said that the meat had been distributed to shops in 26 counties in Romania, more than half the country.
A statement said three authorized sellers in western Romania had bought the meat which was then transported all over Romania.
The institute said checks had been carried out to identify some 3.3 tons which had reached its expiry date when the outbreak was announced, and 40 kilograms had already been pulled from the shelves.
Last week, Hungarian authorities reported that the H5N8 strain of bird flu had been found at a large turkey farm in northwestern Hungary. Hungarian food safety authorities said more than 50,000 birds, would be culled and other precautionary measures implemented to contain the spread of the infection.
The H5N8 strain has not spread to humans in Europe and poultry products are safe to eat.
The European Commission notified the food safety authorities on Friday that the poultry originated from farms in Hungary where there had been an outbreak of bird flu. The meat had been exported to a number of EU member states including Romania.
Food safety authorities said that authorized vendors purchased more than 17,000 kilograms of turkey with an expiry date between 9-20 January, Hotnews reported. The meat, which had the legal documents, was subsequently distributed to counties all over Romania including the capital.
