Production and Monitoring of Reindeer Meat

Finland is a leading country in processing reindeer meat. Around 70 % of the reindeer meat is processed further.

A vet checks up the animals and the carcasses in the slaughter house. In the national monitoring programme for foreign contents in foods, there are annual samples taken from reindeer for ivermectin analysis. Also samples from muscles, livers and kidneys are taken for heavy metal analysis (cadmium and lead). The fat is analysed for PCB-contents.

STUK Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority in Finland, monitors the caesium content in reindeer meat. “The results were clearly under the EU limit value of 600 Becquerel per kilo” (STUK 22.8.2014)