Italy satisfies EU with toxic cheese measures

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- European Union health officials have backed off threats to impose a Europe-wide ban on mozzarella from Italy's Campania region after Rome offered more guarantees to ensure that dioxin-tainted cheese products do not end up on shop shelves.

EU spokeswoman Nina Papadoulaki said that Italian authorities were now taking all demanded actions to ensure contaminated mozzarella products were recalled, and that EU-standard controls and checks on farms were in place.

"Taking into account the information given ... there is no reason at this stage to take further action at EU level," Papadoulaki said, adding the European Commission "is satisfied" with measures now being taken by health authorities in Italy.

Officials added Friday that all cheese products coming from farms other than the 25 that are blacklisted in the Campania region were safe for consumption.

France's Agriculture Ministry on Friday reversed its decision to stop stores from selling mozzarella made from buffalo milk in Campania as "a precautionary measure."

The Ministry said it had lifted the order after learning from Italian authorities that the brands imported to France had not been affected by the dioxin scare.

Japan said it was resuming imports on all Italian mozzarella brands -- except those from Campania -- following restrictions in recent days.

Italian authorities have said that South Korea blocked imports, although they stressed that the Asian country did not import directly from Italy.

The European Commission earlier said Italian health officials had not taken sufficient steps to guard against health problems, such as recalling potentially tainted cheese or doing enough monitoring of affected farms in the Campania region.

The scare involves only mozzarella from the Naples area, which is in a months-old crisis over garbage collection and disposal that has fueled fears of food contamination.

But the EU's warning covered all of Campania, the southern farm region where the soft, milky cheese is made.

Many experts have said no direct link has been established between the garbage problem and the contamination of cheese, which involves samples being found with higher concentrations of the toxic chemical dioxin than allowed under EU food safety rules.

Dioxin, which occurs naturally but is also a byproduct of some manufacturing processes, is best known for causing skin disfigurement but has been linked to cancer, birth defects and organ failure. It can be dangerous even in small amounts.

Papadoulaki had warned that the EU might consider a full ban on mozzarella sales. "If we don't get everything that we want ... we will see whether further or any measures need to be taken," she said Thursday.

She also said that while the contamination exceeded EU standards, "it was not excessive."

In Rome, Health Ministry officials insisted Italy was complying with all EU rules.

Italian officials said Wednesday they had temporarily shut down production at more than 80 cattle farms after detecting higher-than-permitted levels of dioxin in 25 mozzarella-making facilities out of 130 checked.

They said the dioxin was likely coming from contaminated cow feed.

The milk is being destroyed and authorities are carrying out further checks on farms in southern Italy to determine how the feed got contaminated, the officials said.

Earlier this year, Naples health authorities began screening residents for dioxin amid accusations that toxic garbage was being dumped illegally by Mafia-controlled garbage haulers. It is not clear if toxic garbage has played any role in the mozzarella contamination.

The soft and subtly flavored cheese is a key ingredient in pizza, but also is eaten uncooked, often alongside prosciutto or with sliced tomatoes and basil.

The Italian agricultural lobby Coldiretti says 33,000 tons, worth $462.69 million, of DOP -- protected designation of origin -- mozzarella is produced annually, employing some 20,000 people.

Most DOP mozzarella is consumed in Italy, but 16 percent is exported, mostly to European countries but also to Japan and Russia, Coldiretti said. E-mail to a friend

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