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Ethylene Oxide Recall Overview:
- Who: The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).
- Why: The FSAI has recalled more than 40 food products contaminated with ethylene oxide since September 2020.
- Where: The recall affects all European Union members.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has recalled more than 40 food products since September 2020 that were corrupted with ethylene oxide, a chemical used by manufacturers to prevent mold growth and bacteria.
Ethylene oxide was banned in the European Union (EU) in 1981 and has been classified as a carcinogen, mutagen, and reproductive toxicant by the European Chemicals Agency (ECA).
The pesticide is still commonly used by countries outside of the EU for items such as ice cream, meat, sesame seeds, cheese, food supplements, fermented milk products, and breakfast cereal.
Foods Recalled in Ireland
Within the past week there have been a series of recalls on products in Irish stores found to contain ethylene oxide, including Royal Green food supplements, a batch of Milka Vanilla & Chocolate Swirl ice cream sticks, and several Pukka Organic food supplements.
That recalled foods were contaminated with ethylene oxide was brought to light in early September 2020, when Belgium reported to the European Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) that sesame seeds coming from India were contaminated with the sterilizing agent.
Ethylene oxide is not acutely dangerous for human consumption, according to the ECA, but prolonged periods of exposure can lead to increased risk of certain cancers.
The European Commission conducted several meetings with officials in EU-member states around the end of June and early July to address the contamination issue. The states came to the conclusion that the legal provisions set out by the General Food Law meant the tainted food items needed to be taken off the shelves.
“It is necessary, in order to ensure a high level of health protection, that the food or feed business operators who have placed such products on the EU market shall, under the control of the national competent authorities, withdraw those products from the EU market, and recall them from consumers,” the member states said.
The foods recalled in Ireland for ethylene oxide are not the first products to involve a potentially cancer-causing pesticide. B&Q stopped selling Roundup Weed Killer last year after a link to cancer was found in the United States.
Have you consumed any of the foods recalled for ethylene oxide? Let us know in the comments!
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