Danone given the all-clear in dioxin contamination case

“The results show that the level of dioxin is under the limits set by European regulations,” said Radu Roatis, the president of the National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority (ANSVA). He added that the product ban will be lifted and it is up to the company to decide whether the lot, which expires on September 11, will be sold. “I gather that the company does not wish, however, to reintroduce the respective quantities for consumption,” Roatis said, adding that a total of 44,000 containers of yogurt, 125 grams each, were withdrawn.
Two batches of Danone fruit yogurt were withdrawn from Romanian stores two weeks ago as a result of suspicions that one of the ingredients, the guar gum, was contaminated with dioxin. The two batches had as expiry dates August 20 and September 11.
The suspicion has affected the whole industry as consumers have become more wary of industrial dairy products, according to Valeriu Steriu, the president of the Milk Industry Owners' Association (APRIL). The association will devise a strategy for communicating with consumers regarding the safety of dairy products. The official added that reports of the potential contamination were released too soon and should have been made public only after the results from the laboratory tests had come back.

Otilia Haraga