Italy ordered checks on hundreds of mozzarella factories as part of safety measures following the detection of dioxin-tainted products, authorities said on Saturday.
The latest measures were decided together with EU health authorities, and were announced shortly after China imposed a ban on imports of mozzarella and Singapore told markets to suspend sales.
The Health Ministry in Rome said the first checks will involve about 400 cheese factories that use buffalo milk in the areas of Naples, Caserta and Avellino -- three cities in the Campania region, a main producer where the contamination has been detected.
PHOTO: EPA
Sales of milk or any other products from these facilities will be suspended pending results of the testing, the ministry said in a statement. The results will be given to EU health officials by the middle of next month.
An additional 200 cheese factories in other cities in the region will be checked at a later stage, the ministry said. These results are expected by April 25.
Italy said last week that it had detected moderately higher levels of dioxin than allowed under EU rules in 25 mozzarella-makers, and that it was conducting further tests.
Dioxin is a chemical that is linked to cancer, birth defects and organ failure and can be dangerous even in small amounts.
Italy has assured consumers that all products in supermarkets are safe, and EU health officials backed off threats to impose a Europe-wide ban on mozzarella from Campania.
But China and Singapore became the latest countries to announce restrictions on their imports of the soft white cheese. Farmers group Coldiretti estimated it would take at least a month to restore sales levels for buffalo mozzarella.
It said it was necessary to restore consumer confidence after the scare, which has been affecting domestic and international markets.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
At least 35 people were killed and dozens more injured when a man plowed his car into pedestrians exercising around a sports center in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai on Monday night. Footage showing bodies lying on the pavement appeared on social media in the hours after the crash, but had vanished by early Tuesday morning, and local police reported only “injuries.” It took officials nearly 24 hours to reveal that dozens had died — in one of the country’s deadliest incidents in years. China heavily monitors social media platforms, where it is common for words and topics deemed
Typhoon Usagi yesterday had weakened into a tropical storm, but a land warning issued by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) was still in effect in four areas in southern Taiwan. As of 5pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Usagi was over waters 120km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan proper, and was moving north at 9kph, CWA data showed. The storm was expected to veer northeast later yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the data showed. The CWA urged residents of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) to remain alert to
RSS