Greece confiscates 2,000 tonnes of Belgian food

[Neil Tangri <ntangri@essential.org>]

                Greece confiscates 2,000 tonnes of
                Belgian food

                GREECE: June 10, 1999

                ATHENS - Greece has confiscated 2,000 tonnes of
                Belgian food imports and the government advised
                consumers yesterday to buy only locally produced
                food. 

                "We have confiscated 2,000 tonnes of imported food from
                Belgium," Development Minister Evangelos Venizelos told a
                news conference.

                "The tag "Made in Greece" on foodstuffs should hence act
                as a magnet for consumers because it means they are safe
                and of high quality," he said.

                The confiscated products include chicken, beef, pork, dairy
                products and baby food.

                Venizelos said Greece would soon set up a laboratory to
                check whether cancer-causing dioxin is included in
                imported food. "But consumers should still be very careful
                and avoid buying anything that looks suspicious."

                He described the introduction of dioxin in the food chain as
                "a criminal act" and said Belgium should immediately ban
                all potentially dangerous products in line with the European
                Commission directives.

                Agriculture Ministry officials have said animal feed imported
                in Greece was free of dioxin.

                Venizelos said state health inspectors were working around
                the clock to withdraw from supermarket shelves any
                remaining Belgian food imports.

                The Commission said on Wednesday products
                contaminated with the dioxin might still be on sale in
                Belgium.

                The crisis, which broke nearly two weeks ago when
                Belgium announced high levels of the highly toxic chemical
                in chicken and eggs, has since spread to pork, beef and
                dairy products, shaking public confidence in food safety.

                The EU used emergency powers on Friday to impose a ban
                on products which may have come from farms believed to
                have received animal feed contaminated with fats containing
                dioxin. 

                REUTERS NEWS SERVICE 

--

Neil TANGRI