ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Risk Assessment of Wild Game Meat Intake
in the Context of the Prospective Development
of the Venison Market in Poland
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Faculty of Entrepreneurship and Quality Science, Gdynia Maritime University, Morska 81-87, 81-225 Gdynia
Submission date: 2020-02-15
Final revision date: 2020-05-25
Acceptance date: 2020-06-27
Online publication date: 2020-10-06
Publication date: 2021-01-20
Corresponding author
Dominika Mesinger
Faculty of Entrepreneurship and Quality Science, Gdynia Maritime University, Morska, 81-87, 81-225, Gdynia, Poland
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2021;30(2):1307-1315
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ABSTRACT
The goal of this work is the critical analysis of premises influencing the concerns typically
expressed by Polish consumers over the safety of venison. Risk factors which are indicated in literature
as important to the safety of venison in consumers’ eyes are discussed, including: 1) trichinosis,
2) genetic modifications, 3) hormones, and 4) toxoplasmosis. The critical analysis of literature
data allowed concluding that the aforementioned factors do not increase the risk posed by venison
consumption. It was additionally concluded that, in many aspects, the venison is definitely safer
meat than meat of the livestock. An overview of literature data demonstrated, however, the potential
threat to consumer health posed by wild game meat contamination with heavy metals. For this reason,
contents of arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury were determined in meat samples of 12 does of red
deer (Cervus elaphus L.) from the northern Poland. Results of determinations showed explicitly that the
analyzed meat posed no risk associated with the content of heavy metals because contents of arsenic,
cadmium, and mercury in 12 samples and lead content in 11 samples were below the detection limit,
whereas lead content in one sample was determined at a very low level. In general, the results presented
are consistent with literature data, however it needs to be noted that varying conditions of game habitat
and factors associated with the hunt can contribute to increased contents of heavy metals in game meat.