The FSA has moved to reassure UK consumers over the safety of eggs and chicken in the wake of a major dioxin scare in Germany.
Germany was this week embroiled in one of the biggest food safety scandals to ever hit the country after it emerged that feed contaminated with the carcinogen had potentially found its way onto thousands of chicken farms and that tainted eggs had probably been exported to the Netherlands.
Estimates suggested as much as 150,000 tonnes of contaminated feed had been sold to poultry farms.
On Wednesday, the European Commission con firmed that some potentially contaminated eggs had been exported to Holland. However, it added that current evidence did not suggest products had been exported to other EU states.
An FSA statement inisted that there was no health threat to UK consumers at present. "Based on the available information, none of the potentially contaminated animal feed, or food from the animals that may have eaten the feed, has entered the UK," it said.
The vegetable fat involved had only been delivered to animal feed producers in Germany and the feed had also only been delivered to laying hens, fattening poultry and pig farms in Germany, stressed the FSA.
Authorities in Germany are now trying to identify exactly where the suspet feed came from and how many farms, animals and food products are affected.
Across Germany, about 1,200 chicken farms have been ordered not to sell their products until further notice, and 8,000 chickens have been culled.
There are also reports that dioxin has been found in some pig feed.
Eggs sales are reported to be down markedly across Germany following warnings to consumers that they should exercise caution when shopping.
North Rhine-Westphalia has started publishing egg ID numbers to allow consumers to identify potentially contaminated eggs.
Germany was this week embroiled in one of the biggest food safety scandals to ever hit the country after it emerged that feed contaminated with the carcinogen had potentially found its way onto thousands of chicken farms and that tainted eggs had probably been exported to the Netherlands.
Estimates suggested as much as 150,000 tonnes of contaminated feed had been sold to poultry farms.
On Wednesday, the European Commission con firmed that some potentially contaminated eggs had been exported to Holland. However, it added that current evidence did not suggest products had been exported to other EU states.
An FSA statement inisted that there was no health threat to UK consumers at present. "Based on the available information, none of the potentially contaminated animal feed, or food from the animals that may have eaten the feed, has entered the UK," it said.
The vegetable fat involved had only been delivered to animal feed producers in Germany and the feed had also only been delivered to laying hens, fattening poultry and pig farms in Germany, stressed the FSA.
Authorities in Germany are now trying to identify exactly where the suspet feed came from and how many farms, animals and food products are affected.
Across Germany, about 1,200 chicken farms have been ordered not to sell their products until further notice, and 8,000 chickens have been culled.
There are also reports that dioxin has been found in some pig feed.
Eggs sales are reported to be down markedly across Germany following warnings to consumers that they should exercise caution when shopping.
North Rhine-Westphalia has started publishing egg ID numbers to allow consumers to identify potentially contaminated eggs.
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