44Therefore, both the general scheme of Regulation No 853/2004 and the objective of a high level of consumer protection that it aims to achieve require all sources of contamination to be covered. Accordingly, the concept of ‘digestive tract’ cannot be restricted to the intestines and their contents. As the Advocate General observed in point 50 of his Opinion, the digestive tract includes all the organs that make up the digestive system and also the content of those organs, from the mouth to the anus. Faeces, crop contents and bile thus form part of the digestive tract and must therefore be regarded as falling under the obligations laid down in Annex III, Section II, Chapter IV, points 5 and 8, to Regulation No 853/2004.
Source: EUR-Lex, © European Union, 1998-2026. Reuse authorised under Decision 2011/833/EU.