The samples of dehydrated potato pre-products and ready to eat
mashed potatoes made thereof that tested positive for B. cytotoxicus
were from at least 24 different brands and were taken between March
and December, indicating no seasonal bias. Package labelling identified
the majority of samples as being produced in various German
regions. Hence, the finding that only one sample tested positive for
B. cytotoxicus (gnocchi) was not produced in Germany but in Italy only
reflects a sampling bias. However, even for products from different
brands it is not clear how many different manufacturers were actually
involved in the production of the dehydrated potato products as it is
common for one production plant to produce granules, flakes or powders
and subsequently pack and label them for different brands. Also,
the location of the production plant does not necessarily allow for conclusions
about the origins of the raw material that was processed.