January 8, 2009
Spain's feed ingredient tainted with dioxin
The Netherlands and France have discovered dioxin in a natural pigment that came from Spain.
The contamination was detected through the Rapid Alert System on December 23. The pigment in the Netherlands contained 3.1 pictograms while the product in France contained 10.6 pictograms. Only 1 pictogram was allowed.
The natural pigment is used in animal feed to give chicken skin and egg yolks a good colour. The contamination is not harmful to animals or humans, said the Dutch Food Authority VWA.
No animal feed has to be recalled or destroyed. The cause of contamination is unknown.
