The Directorate-General for Competition, Consumption and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) alerted Friday, November 20 to the potential toxicity of products containing sesame. In Inde, batches of these plants would have been contaminated with ethylene oxide before being exported, reports The Parisian . The DGCCRF has therefore decided to proceed with numerous recalls.
The list of foods that may contain too much ethylene oxide grows longer with each update by the body. It counts today more than 1,000 references removed from store shelves. Customers should not consume them and are asked to dispose of them or return them to their place of purchase.
Found in many foods
Signs of large distribution such as Auchan, Carrefour or Picard are concerned, as are well-known brands such as Gerblé or Lindt. Organic stores have also carried out product withdrawals and recalls. Foods presenting a risk are varied. Sesame is indeed used in seed but also in hummus, cereal bars, bread, mustard, crisps, prepared salads or even tuna.
In L’European Union, products should not contain more than 0.05 milligrams of ethylene oxide per kilogram. However, some tests have revealed a concentration of the substance of 186 milligrams per kilo, that is to say 3,500 times more than the authorized limit, indicates the Paris daily. The component is considered carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic by European health authorities.
Treatment against salmonella
Contaminated sesame would not be dangerous, however, if consumed in small quantities and infrequently. In India, ethylene oxide was reportedly used in its gaseous form on plants stored in sheds to protect them from salmonella and other bacteria. Experts now want to determine how long this treatment has been used.
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