Dioxin in European Food Products  

What is happening in Europe?

In response to public health concerns associated with dioxin contamination of food products, the European Commission (EC) implemented a ban on 3 June 1999 on the marketing of foods from Belgium containing egg or poultry products, produced between 15 January and 1 June 1999.

The EC extended the ban on 4 June 1999 to include all pork and bovine (cattle) products, including milk and milk products from Belgium.

What is the problem?

The contamination of food products with dioxin resulted from contamination of fats, supplied by one company, which was distributed to 11 feed mills (9 in Belgium, 1 in France and 1 in the Netherlands). These mills produced animal feed pellets which have been distributed to over 1500 poultry, pork and cattle (beef and dairy) farms in Belgium, the Netherlands and France. Animals on these farms were fed the contaminated feed, and food produced from the animals has subsequently been traded with other European Union Member States and to countries such as Australia.

Distribution of the contaminated animal feed began on 15 January 1999 and was prohibited by the Belgian Government on 1 June 1999.

The Belgian Government put in place a process to identify those feed companies that could have used the contaminated fat. The Belgian Government has identified and isolated companies that have used the contaminated feed product, in accordance with the EC decision. The Belgian Government has also identified ‘clean’ farms. For example, on 8 June 1999, the Belgian Government cleared 2546 out of a total of 3266 poultry producers, who are now permitted to transport, slaughter and sell their products with no further restrictions. It is expected that a similar list will be issued for pork and beef producers in the next few days.

The level of dioxin in poultry, egg, pork, beef and dairy products in Belgium is unclear because only limited test results for poultry, eggs and pork have been made available from the Belgian authorities.

What is Dioxin?

Dioxin is a general term for a group of chemicals, known as dioxins and furans, that contain chlorine and have similar chemical and physical properties. Analysis for dioxin is by a gas chromotography-high resolution method that reports the amount of the group of chemicals in a food.

Dioxin is a man-made contaminant found in the environment at very low levels. Dioxin is produced during combustion processes, such as incineration of household, hospital, industrial waste and of sewerage sludges, and as an unwanted by-product of some industrial chemical processes. Dioxin is found in foods as a background contaminant at extremely low levels which are not considered to be of public health concern.

Dioxin at high levels of exposure is toxic to animals and has been reported to have effects on the immune system, hormones and reproduction. The effects depend on a number of factors, including the animal species, the age and sex of the animal.

Humans appear to be much less susceptible to the short-term effects of dioxin than animals. Industrial accidents such as the Seveso incident in 1976 showed that the only significant effect was damage to the skin (chloracne).

Exposure to dioxin at relatively high doses from industrial accidents has been associated with long term toxic effects, including skin damage, with only weak evidence of increased incidence of nonspecific cancers (International Programme on Chemical Safety IPCS monograph, WHO/IPCS Consultation 1998). The World Health Organization (WHO) established a safe level of intake for dioxin of 10 picograms/kilogram bodyweight in 1990 relating to life time exposure in humans, that was lowered to 1-4 picograms/kilogram bodyweight in 1998. WHO did not consider it necessary to set a level relating to short term exposure. 

Dioxin is fat soluble and not very soluble in water. Dioxin tends to accumulate in the liver and in animal fatty tissues. In foods, dioxin will therefore concentrate in the fatty portion of the food.

Foods such as pates, cheese, butter, and tinned meat (corned beef, ham) that are generally high in animal fat would be likely to have higher dioxin contamination levels than products low in animal fats. Although dairy products are implicated, milk itself has a very low fat content (4% fat), though fat is more concentrated in other dairy products such as butter (80% fat) and cheeses (up to 35% fat). In addition, milk is usually mixed from many sources at collection points in each country before further use in processed food products, thus diluting potential dioxin contamination. Chocolate is not considered to be a public health concern because it usually contains non-fat milk solids, with vegetable fats being added if necessary as the main fat source.

What is Australia doing?

The Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) is working closely with the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS). Initially, on 5 June 1999, ANZFA requested AQIS to ‘hold and test’ at our border any egg, poultry and pork products from Belgium, France, or the Netherlands. Australia does not import any raw pork, raw poultry or whole eggs from these countries.

The Managing Director of ANZFA, Mr Ian Lindenmayer, announced on 9 June 1999 that the existing Australian import controls on egg, poultry and pork products from Belgium, France and the Netherlands which may be contaminated with dioxin had been extended to include high fat beef and high fat dairy products. This is because dioxin is known to concentrate in the fatty portion of foods. Australia does not import raw beef and only a limited number of processed beef products from these countries. Australia does not import fresh milk but does import other dairy products such as cheeses.

Australia’s import controls have been extended to food products from France and the Netherlands because animal feed contaminated with dioxin was also distributed to a large number of farms in these countries.

ANZFA’s monitoring and surveillance staff worked with AQIS as a matter of urgency to identify, through computerised import records, any products from these countries that may have been imported during the period of contamination. ANZFA is also working very closely with the food industry on this issue and has advised importers to seek assurances from their suppliers about the safety and source of their imports.

ANZFA have requested that companies identified as importers of products of concern from the affected countries:

• investigate whether any poultry, egg, pork, beef or products derived from these foods, including dairy products, they use in food manufacture, or may currently have on sale, originated from Belgium, France and the Netherlands;
  
  
• either obtain confirmation from their suppliers that the products did not originate from any of the farms supplied by the affected feed mills; or
  
  
• demonstrate through the results of analysis that the products are not contaminated with dioxin.

Certification from the relevant European government authority is required for products to be cleared as free of dioxin contamination.

ANZFA advised retailers on 17 June 1999 to withdraw a limited number of high fat Belgian products following extensive discussions with importers, overseas authorities, the States and Territories and AQIS about specific food consignments. Affected products include biscuits, pastries and sauces, produced in Belgium between 15 January 1999 and 2 June 1999, and imported into Australia. Products such as pates, butter and cheeses produced in Belgium were not included in the list of products for voluntary withdrawal either because none were imported during the critical time period, or the food consignments imported have already been certified as free of dioxin.

ANZFA lifted the Australian import restrictions placed on Dutch and French foods considered at risk of dioxin contamination on 2 July 1999 after receiving evidence from the Dutch and French governments showing that these products were not contaminated.

Import controls continue to apply to Belgium foods produced between 15 January and 2 June 1999. Food consignments from Belgium will be cleared by AQIS if they have a test result showing that the foods are free of dioxin or if they are accompanied by an official certificate indicating that the foods have not been produced on farms using dioxin contaminated animal feed.

ANZFA continues to monitor the situation very closely. Any decisions about food recalls in New Zealand will be made by the Ministry of Health in Wellington. 

Consumer information

Consumers are advised that the consumption of poultry, eggs, pork, beef and related products from Belgium, France or the Netherlands that may have been contaminated with dioxin between 15 January 1999 and 2 June 1999 would not be expected to cause harmful effects, due to the relatively short period of exposure.

As of 17 June 1999 retailers have been advised by ANZFA to remove food produced in Belgium between 15 January 1999 and 2 June 1999, such as biscuits, pastries and sauces, from supermarket shelves, until importers inform them that these products are certified as free from dioxin. Chocolate products have not been included in the list of products for withdrawal. Chocolate is not considered to be a public health concern because it contains very little animal fat.

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Friday, 2 July 1999