| Author (Person) | Bower, Helen |
|---|---|
| Publisher | ProQuest Information and Learning |
| Series Title | In Focus |
| Series Details | 11.7.02 |
| Publication Date | 11/07/2002 |
| Content Type | News, Overview, Topic Guide | In Focus |
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The European Union's Standing Committee for the Food Chain and Animal Health, consisting of representatives of Member States, met for an emergency session on 10 July 2002 to discuss the latest food scare to hit the continent concerning the presence of a banned hormone in feed and food products. The issue arose at the start of July 2002 when pigs feed used by farms in the Netherlands was found to be contaminated with medroxyprogesterone-acetate (MPA), a hormone used in the contraceptive pill. The food had been delivered to them by a Belgian company called Bioland, which went bankrupt in May 2002. Since the discovery, the Belgian food authority has also found the banned hormone in soft drinks produced by two Belgian drinks manufacturers. MPA is believed to have entered the drink by the glucose syrup that was produced by Bioland. The company is thought to have used dangerous pharmaceutical waste, which had been delivered to the company from an Irish firm for incineration, for other purposes. At the meeting of the Standing Committee for the Food Chain and Animal Health, representatives from the Dutch, Belgian and Irish authorities provided detailed reports on the state of play of their investigations. The Netherlands agreed to block all farms and feed producers potentially involved and to circulate immediately a full list of those affected. They also agreed to keep the European Commission and the other EU Member States regularly informed of the results of further tests. However, potentially affected pigs have already been transported from the Netherlands to Spain, Italy and Ireland. Therefore, all Member States undertook to continue to trace potentially affected food and feed, to block establishments concerned and to test any products that may have been affected. They will also check that none of the companies operating within their country used Bioland and that pharmaceutical waste is disposed of correctly. The issue will be discussed further at the regular meeting of the Food Chain and Animal Health Committee scheduled for 16 July 2002. The agenda and reports of the meetings of the committee can be found within the web page for the Standing Committee for Animal Nutrition. Links: European Commission:
European Sources Online: Financial Times:
European Sources Online: Topic Guide:
Helen Bower The European Union's Standing Committee for the Food Chain and Animal Health, consisting of representatives of Member States, met for an emergency session on 10 July 2002 to discuss the latest food scare to hit the continent concerning the presence of a banned hormone in feed and food products. |
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| Subject Categories | Business and Industry |
