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Italy orders cheese factory checks

A buffalo cow is pictured on a farm in Capua in the Italian region of Campania on Saturday. PHOTO: EPA

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.

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.
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