Rancid Swedish meat sold in Poland

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- Swedish stockpiles of Cold War-era canned meat sold for use in Poland's restaurants are in various stages of rancid decay, experts say.

The meat, which Sweden phased out by the end of the 1990s, was sold by the Swedish Board of Agriculture to a Swedish trading company on the condition it not be sold for food inside the European Union, The Local reported Friday.

However, investigators told the newspaper Svenska Dagbladet the meat, some as old as 27 years, was sold in Poland for use in restaurants. Experts said the meat is only recommended for use up to 10 years after it was packaged.

Svenska Dagbladet reported it commissioned laboratory tests that found the cans meet EU regulations by being free of bacteria, but tests at the agricultural college in Warsaw, Poland, found the canned meat was turning rancid.

"When we opened the cans the freeze-dried meat (smelled) like fish. The fat in the cans had become rancid," said Maria Walczyka, head of a testing team. "By eating this meat, you run the risk of being poisoned."