Beware of contaminated foods

[tufta]

//The European Commission has confirmed that eggs contaminated with dioxin from German animal feed have been shipped to the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

The Commission said yesterday (6 January) that 136,000 �potentially contaminated� eggs had been exported to the Netherlands for use in mayonnaise and other foodstuffs. It said that 14 tonnes of pasteurised egg product had been shipped to the UK.

German authorities have shut down more than 4,500 farms to prevent the spread of contaminated food after dioxin, which can cause cancer, was found in animal feed at the end of December.

The closures are mostly pig farms in Lower Saxony. Some 8,000 hens have also been destroyed after tests on eggs found traces of dioxin.

The dioxin in the eggs came from animal feed that was contaminated with fatty acids. A distributor of oils used to make animal feed in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein is suspected of being responsible for the contamination. The feed is believed to have been sent to farms across Germany.

Germany notified the Commission of the results of tests on 27 December after which the Commission issued an EU-wide alert to contain the spread of the tainted feed and animal products.

John Dalli, the European commissioner for health and consumer policy, said containing the spread of tainted feed and dioxin was �of utmost importance for the Commission�.

Dalli said he would call for ways �to further strengthen� safeguards and monitoring of dioxin in feed to prevent it from contaminating products meant for human consumption.

The EU introduced maximum levels for dioxin for animal food products in 2002.

The rules force national authorities to carry out regular controls on animal food makers to test for dioxin levels in feed production.

A Commission spokesman said Commission officials have already been in contact with animal feed manufacturers and would hold more talks in the coming days to discuss additional control measures.

The EU's standing committee on the food chain and animal health, made up of veterinary and health officials from national authorities will also assess the situation when they meet in Brussels on Tuesday and Wednesday (11-12 January).//

[tufta]

//German dioxin meat imported into Poland

A slaughterhouse in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt has informed that 35 pigs contaminated with the highly toxic chemical dioxin have been processed and sold to markets in Poland and the Czech Republic.



The alert follows news on 3 January when German officials said dioxin-tainted feed had been fed to hens and pigs.//

more:
www.thenews.pl/business/artykul147316_german-dioxin-meat-imported-into-poland.html

[valpomike]

Don't ever trust those Germans, or their foods.

Mike

[Bonobo]

This time Germans are victims and Spaniards culprits:

‘No E-coli in Poland’ sooth doctors
30.05.2011
After a Polish woman was taken in for treatment for E-coli food poisoning, epidemiologists in the north-western city of Szczecin are dispelling fears that cucumbers infected with E-coli have made their way onto shelves in the country.

It has been found that the woman lives in Germany, and became infected by the bacteria before travelling to Poland.

Doctors report that the woman’s blood is being cleaned with the help of kidney dialysis.

So far, reports state that ten people have died so far in Poland’s western neighbour from E-coli poisoning thought to have come from a foul batch of Spanish cucumbers. Over 1,200 people have so far contracted the bacteria in Germany.

While Poland is a large importer of fruit and vegetables from Spain, a rise in domestic produce in May meant that imports were kept to a minimum, especially with regards to cucumbers, notes Bozena Nosecka from the Institute of Agricultural and Food Economics.

“People are practically eating only Polish cucumbers, which are third on the list of sales after tomatoes and cabbage,” Nosecka told Polish Radio. “I don’t think that the [E-coli] situation [in Germany] will have an effect on consumption, as 99 percent of all vegtables on the market are from Poland, where there have been no findings as to any possible infection.”

Meanwhile, Polish epidemiologists are appealing for calm. Dr Jan Bondar from the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate told TVP Info that even though cases of E-coli have been reported in a number of countries, the infections were contracted in Germany.

However, there is no information as to whether any infected cucumbers have made their way to Polish shops, Bondar concedes, adding that heightened sanitary procedures should be taken when preparing cucumbers. (jb)

[Bonobo]

Polish farmers hit hard
10th June 2011

Farmers have taken a massive blow due to the E. coli outbreak

Estimates suggest that Polish farmers are losing approximately PLN 10 mln a day due to the current E. coli outbreak across Europe.

According to legal paper Dziennik Gazeta Prawna, Agriculture Minister Marek Sawicki told a press conference that the amount of losses so far totalled PLN 150 mln, although this figure is rising rapidly.

The main reason behind the worrying losses is the drastic drop in the sale of fresh fruit and vegetables, as the public becomes more wary over its eating habits.

Sawicki added that reports that the EU had “failed in giving early warnings” were untrue as - in his opinion - it was the German health service that was to blame for failing to identify the outbreak as E. coli for half a month.

“The trust has been undermined by the inept Germany sanitary service, an irresponsible statement by the senator from Hamburg and by a lack of proper monitoring by the appropriate departments,” he said.