Italy has made satisfactory progress in controlling cases of mozzarella cheese found contaminated by cancer-causing dioxins and is not facing any EU trade ban at this stage, the European Commission said on Friday.
"The Commission is satisfied with the progress made and continues its intensive contacts with the Italian authorities," Nina Papadoulaki, the Commission's health spokeswoman, told a daily news conference. "Taking into account the information that was given today, there is no reason at this stage to take further action at EU level," she said.
Earlier on Friday, Italy ordered a recall of potentially contaminated mozzarella as a widening health scare tainted the reputation of one of its best-known culinary products, according to Italian media reports.
“This is a limited phenomenon and once the (recall) measures are completed, we’re convinced that we can restore confidence in the quality of a product that remains a symbol of Italian gastronomy,” he said.
However, Gianpaolo Patta, a senior health ministry official, told the FT that reports of a recall of buffalo mozzarella, citing the foreign minister on a visit to Naples, were ”imprecise”.
Contaminated milk found in dairy farms since March 3 had been destroyed, their production had been halted and the farms sequestered by the courts, he said, adding that any milk containing dioxin that had been made into mozzarella before then would have already expired by now.
Mr Patta said the EU had requested a wider systematic analysis of milk over a greater area. He said that following further tests the number of dairy farms with excessive dioxin levels was down to about 20 from 25. Requests for the names of these farms to be released were ”reasonable”, he said, but the Italian authorities had to be absolutely sure of the test results before giving the names.
Meanwhile, France has lifted its order to shops to stop selling mozzarella cheese from Italy’s Campania region following fears it might be contaminated with cancer-causing dioxin, the agriculture ministry said on Friday.
France had decided to go back on its earlier decision because the Italian authorities had given assurances that no such mozzarella had been put on sale in France, the ministry said in a statement.
On Thursdsay, Italy’s top food and health officials told consumers not to stop eating its buffalo mozzarella cheese, saying that reports of dioxin scares had been exaggerated and that no contaminated products had been exported.
Paolo de Castro, agriculture minister, ate some of the creamy white cheese at a news conference to make his point. Officials said a person would have to eat 7kg in a day to reach dioxin limits set by the World Health Organisation.
Japan has held imports of Italian cheese at customs in two airports, pending further checks, according to officials. Italy disputes reports that South Korea has blocked buffalo mozzarella from Italy. Guido Bertolaso, a civil protection official, talked of international speculation in buffalo mozzarella, with estimates of 2m tonnes of imitation cheese produced in the US and Australia. “When abroad people speak badly of us. They have great pleasure, speculating and taking advantage of our localised problem.”
Mr De Castro confirmed to the FT that criminal charges could be brought against the 25 dairies where excessive dioxin levels were found. Courts have sequestered the dairies and 83 farms. Asked if people would be prosecuted, he replied: “Absolutely.” He said controls had stopped contaminated cheese reaching the market.
Mr Patta said the dioxin could have come from soil contaminated from burning tyres and plastic.
Environmentalists and investigators say all kinds of rubbish has been burnt in the Campania region – by residents trying to get rid of uncollected garbage but also by mafia gangs disposing of or concealing toxic waste from other parts of Italy.
Giovanni, a dairy manager near Naples who asked that his full name not be used, said the mafia also controlled some dairies and farms, using “bullying and corruption” to evade health controls. He said the dioxin scare had been exposed just weeks before parliamentary elections for political gains. “They want to bring this region to its knees,” he said.
The region of Campania and the city of Naples are under centre-left administrations allied to the central government in Rome.
