January 13, 2006

Contaminated feed grains nearly enter Italian market
 

Contaminated wheat mixed with other grains were nearly sold as animal feedstuffs in Italy.

This was found after Monilo Casillo, managing director of Europe's largest semolina producer, was arrested Jan 11 on charges of poisoning of foodstuffs after contaminated grains were seized in September 2005.

Grains imported from Canada by the company was contaminated with carcinogens, or cancer-causing toxins, at levels three times over the European legal limits.

The company, situated in Bari in southern Italy, is the world's largest private buyer of durum wheat.