Suspected toxic milk taken off store shelves in Serbia
Source: Agencies |
February 21, 2013, Thursday
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SERBIAN officials ordered some brands of milk taken off store shelves yesterday despite earlier claims that they were safe and not dangerously contaminated with a potentially cancer-causing toxin.
The order came after widespread public outrage over allegations that health authorities have for weeks been hiding the results of lab tests which reportedly show that much of the milk sold in Serbia contains high levels of aflatoxins, a fungus linked to mildewed cattle feed that can cause cancer if consumed in high doses.
Authorities initially refused to reveal the brands that have been ordered out of shops, saying they were waiting for results of tests being conducted in the Netherlands.
"That's really outrageous," said Jelena Matic, 45-year-old anthropology researcher from Belgrade. "How are we supposed to know which milk we can buy?"
Later yesterday, the head of the veterinary inspection, Sanja Celabicanin, said authorities have ordered the withdrawal of 50 types of milk, from almost all dairies in Serbia.
An extremely dry summer last year provided conditions for the poisonous mold to grow, mostly in corn that is used as animal feed.
Very high doses are linked to cancer, especially of the liver, but experts say a person would have to drink a gallon a day for years to see any health effects.
Health Minister Slavica Djukic Dejanovic said there is no reason for panic. "I drink milk, obviously the citizens must decide on their own whether they will drink it or not," she said.
Goran Jesic, an agriculture official who broke the silence and published the results of the aflatoxin tests on Tuesday, demanded yesterday that the government also withdraw the cattle feed and instruct the farmers how to neutralize the presence of aflatoxins.
Agriculture Minister Goran Knezevic demonstrated his confidence in milk by drinking several glasses during a media conference on Tuesday.
But Jesic, who is in charge of agriculture in Serbia's northern breadbasket region of Vojvodina, said that much of the milk sold in Serbia has higher levels of the toxins than allowed.
Elsewhere in the Balkans, four brands of milk have been withdrawn in Croatia because of aflatoxin contamination. High levels of the toxin have also been found in some samples of milk sold in Slovenia, Bosnia and Macedonia.
The order came after widespread public outrage over allegations that health authorities have for weeks been hiding the results of lab tests which reportedly show that much of the milk sold in Serbia contains high levels of aflatoxins, a fungus linked to mildewed cattle feed that can cause cancer if consumed in high doses.
Authorities initially refused to reveal the brands that have been ordered out of shops, saying they were waiting for results of tests being conducted in the Netherlands.
"That's really outrageous," said Jelena Matic, 45-year-old anthropology researcher from Belgrade. "How are we supposed to know which milk we can buy?"
Later yesterday, the head of the veterinary inspection, Sanja Celabicanin, said authorities have ordered the withdrawal of 50 types of milk, from almost all dairies in Serbia.
An extremely dry summer last year provided conditions for the poisonous mold to grow, mostly in corn that is used as animal feed.
Very high doses are linked to cancer, especially of the liver, but experts say a person would have to drink a gallon a day for years to see any health effects.
Health Minister Slavica Djukic Dejanovic said there is no reason for panic. "I drink milk, obviously the citizens must decide on their own whether they will drink it or not," she said.
Goran Jesic, an agriculture official who broke the silence and published the results of the aflatoxin tests on Tuesday, demanded yesterday that the government also withdraw the cattle feed and instruct the farmers how to neutralize the presence of aflatoxins.
Agriculture Minister Goran Knezevic demonstrated his confidence in milk by drinking several glasses during a media conference on Tuesday.
But Jesic, who is in charge of agriculture in Serbia's northern breadbasket region of Vojvodina, said that much of the milk sold in Serbia has higher levels of the toxins than allowed.
Elsewhere in the Balkans, four brands of milk have been withdrawn in Croatia because of aflatoxin contamination. High levels of the toxin have also been found in some samples of milk sold in Slovenia, Bosnia and Macedonia.
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