Dioxins in Belgian milk

[Emmanuel de Broux <emmanuel.debroux@ping.be>]

Dear listers,

The following alert notice calls for comments:

> >FDA - For Immediate Release June 23, 1999
> >ALL MILK AND MILK-CONTAINING FOOD PRODUCTS FROM BELGIUM TO BE DETAINED AT PORTS OF ENTRY
> >The Food and Drug Administration announced today that it is expanding the import alert issued June 11 on egg- containing products from Belgium to include milk-containing products such as cheese. The import alert recommends detention of products at ports of entry until importers provide laboratory test results showing the shipments are free of detectable levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and/or dioxins.  As with the June 11 import alert, today's expansion is a precautionary step.
There is just as much dioxins (and furans and PCBs) in milk collected in all countries. This background level is not in any way higher in Belgium than anywhere else. But from a commercial standpoint, pointing at Belgium as vilain country yields juicy results, no doubt.

This campaign is gone far enough to now entice countries other than Belgium to analyse their dairy products for dioxins, furans and PCBs. I am sure some unpleasant surprises will pop up.

Best regards, Emmanuel.
- Mr Emmanuel de Broux, avenue du Sacre-Coeur 7, B-5590 Leignon, Belgium.
Tel + fax: international access code + 32 83 21 54 30