国际英语资讯:Contaminated eggs scandal underlines need to enhance food safety coordination within EU_时事

国际英语资讯:Contaminated eggs scandal underlines need to enhance food safety coordination within EU

BRUSSELS, Aug. 10 -- Several European countries are affected by fipronil-contaminated eggs, causing millions of eggs to be removed from shelves in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.

So far, contaminated eggs from the Netherlands have been found in Belgium, Germany, France and Britain.

France's agriculture ministry confirmed that 13 batches of Dutch eggs contaminated with the insecticide fipronil were delivered to France between July 11 and July 26. Investigations are being carried out to assess where the concerned products have ended up.

国际英语资讯:Contaminated eggs scandal underlines need to enhance food safety coordination within EU1

Britain's Food Standards Agency said in a statement released on Thursday that nearly 700,000 eggs from Dutch farms affected by the insecticide Fipronil may have been distributed to Britain.

It's a significant increase compared with the agency's earlier estimate of 21,000. But considering the figure only represents 0.007 percent of the eggs consumed in the UK every year, the agency said it is "very unlikely" that there is any risk to public health from consuming these foods.

And investigations to date indicated that any affected products are no longer on the British shelves.

Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, a spokeswoman of European Commission, notified Sweden and Switzerland to take measures for the contaminated eggs may have entered their markets.

Fipronil is a pesticide effective on a large number of pests. It is considered slightly poisonous by the World Health Organization (WHO) and is hence forbidden on animals destined for the food chain to prevent damage to the human liver, thyroid and kidney.