Italy feels the pressure over buffalo cheese scare

Yesterday the EU put further pressure on Italy to provide information regarding the scale of a potential crisis over a possible correlation between cancer and cheese. Brussels warned Italy of a potential banning of buffalo mozzarella over the EU.

Italian authorities were encouraged to provide detail about carcinogenic dioxins found in buffalo mozzarella produced in the Naples area. The European commission set the Italian government a deadline, which expired last night, by which the information must be handed over.

Should EU conditions not be met then buffalo mozzarella is likely to be removed from sale across the EU and a commission health spokeswoman stated that Italy would face a European export prohibition.

Buffalo mozzarella produced in the Campania region in Italy has already faced a ban by supermarkets in South Korea and Japan.

Last week Italy revealed information that high levels of dioxins, mainly poisonous chemical byproducts from the manufacture of herbicides and bactericides, had been found in the milk of a total 66 herds of buffalo in the region of Naples. Yet Italian officials reassured the public that none of this tainted cheese has been exported.

Italy’s farming minister, Paolo De Castro, was quick to blame the media for a resulting food scare that has resulted in sales of mozzarella in Italy to fall by 30%.

Whilst eating the cheese he remained adamant that the fact that the cheese has been seized means that there is currently no health risk. Castro did however acknowledge that 83 of 1,900 buffalo dairy farms have been affected by findings.

The European commission has requested that all contaminated cheese is taken off the marketplace instantly. It has also asked for the names of all affected farms alongside a list of the affected products and details of what is being done by Italians to prevent any further contamination.