The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) is requesting all wholesalers, retailers, food processors, manufacturers and caterers using Spanish olive pomace oil to stop selling or using this oil until further notice.
This follows a European-wide food alert from the European Commission based on information from the Spanish Ministry of Health and Consumers.
The Spanish authorities have withdrawn oil made from olive residues (commercially known as olive pomace oil) from the Spanish market.
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This oil has been found to contain excessive levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs are toxins and long-term exposure can lead to serious health risks. Olive oil and virgin olive oil are not affected by this warning.
"Limited information is available to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland on the extent of this problem" said Mr Alan Reilly, FSAI director of operations.
"While the European Commission has issued a rapid food alert, we do not as yet, have information on a full list of products that are affected, brand names or batch codes in order that we can carry out a product recall. This again highlights the problems of traceability of foods moving the international market", he added.
