Wild game from the amateur hunter: Carrion on the plate

Anyone who secretly believes that game meat arrives at the table "natural" and healthy, beware!

Behind the romantic image lurk risks, and they are tangible and dangerous.

Wild game from recreational hunting is not a romantic delicacy; often enough it is carrion and therefore risky. Caution is not a luxury, but a matter of protecting life.

"Carrion" is not just a figure of speech. The decomposition process begins minutes after the animal is shot: blood clots, germs multiply, and technically, the killed animal quickly becomes a carcass. Evisceration must be carried out quickly to prevent the growth of bacteria (it is estimated that one million bacteria develop per gram of contaminated meat within an hour of death) and external pathogens such as dirt or flies.

When amateur hunters, as usual, dawdle for hours before retrieving or caring for the animal, the damage worsens: Insufficient cooling, unhygienic handling, and the lack of official controls turn game meat into a health hazard.

Toxic cocktail and ammunition residue

Wild animals live amidst pesticides, manure, heavy metals, and PFAS, and these substances eventually end up in their meat. Hobby hunters often conveniently omit the fact that their "natural product" is untested and therefore by no means automatically "organic."

Particularly problematic: residues from the ammunition . Many authorities explicitly warn against consumption, especially by children, pregnant women, and women trying to conceive.

Raw or undercooked game can transmit germs such as trichinella, salmonella, E. coli, or the hepatitis E virus. In people with weakened immune systems or during pregnancy, such infections can have serious consequences, ranging from liver inflammation to chronic illness or organ failure.

Beware of romanticized hunting propaganda

Hunting associations tout game as "ecological, low-fat, and natural." Nicely put, but the reality is quite different: A lack of official meat inspections, uncontrolled processing, and a lack of hygiene regulations make the whole thing a gamble. What to do? Stay away from game meat! Let hobby hunters eat it themselves.

Added value:

• Wild game: Natural, healthy – or dangerous?
• Game meat from a hobby hunter? – Carrion on your plate!
• Studies indicate that there are health risks associated with the consumption of wild game.
• Nutrition: The civilized taste
• Wild game from a hunter is carrion
• Wild game meat cannot be organic
• Meat from wild animals is not organic game.
• Dementia: How harmful is game meat?
• Game meat makes you sick
• Lead residues in game meat products
• Wild game: Risks, lead, and hunting myths
• Warning: Beware of wild game meat from amateur hunters
• Hunters also lie when selling meat.