Tesco withdraws products 'as precaution'

Tesco has withdrawn a number of products from sale in Ireland after it emerged eggs from German farms using contaminated feed were exported to Britain and the Netherlands for food processing.

In a statement issued this evening, Tesco said it was withdrawing the products "on a purely precautionary basis".

The move follows a statement earlier today by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) which said it was liaising with UK authorities to ascertain if products made with affected eggs and distributed in the UK had found their way to Ireland.

Germany's states have ordered the closure of more than 4,700 farms across the country as a precautionary measure following the dioxin contamination scare, the country's agriculture ministry said.

Dioxin, a by-product of burning rubbish and industrial activities, can cause miscarriages and other health problems in humans, including cancer.

Affected eggs from Germany were distributed to The Netherlands, where they were mixed with other non-contaminated eggs to make pasteurised liquid egg. The pasteurised liquid egg was subsequently distributed to the UK.

The FSAI said pasteurised liquid egg was supplied to two manufacturers in the UK, which subsequently used the ingredient to produce a range of short shelf-life cakes and quiches, which were later supplied to the major UK supermarkets.

The authority said there is "no food safety risk" from eating these products, as the mixing of the eggs will have diluted the levels of dioxins to below legal limits.

Some 4,709 farms and businesses are currently closed, including 4,468 in the state of Lower Saxony, northwest Germany, said the ministry in a statement.

The German authorities have imposed a ban on the movement of animals from these farms until it can be demonstrated that animals are in compliance with the legal limits for dioxins.

The firm Harles und Jentzsch in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein is alleged to have supplied up to 3,000 tonnes of contaminated fatty acids meant only for industrial usage to around 25 animal feed makers.

It was in Lower Saxony that 2,500 out of the 3,000 tonnes of contaminated fatty acids at the centre of the alert were delivered in November and December, where they were used as animal fodder.

Nine samples out of the 20 that were analysed showed dioxin levels higher, or much higher than legal, the Schleswig-Holstein ministry said. The fat is therefore not allowed for consumption, it added.

The German government said earlier that up to 150,000 tonnes of feed were feared to have been contaminated.

The dioxin scare had already resulted in a halt in production at about 1,200 chicken, turkey and pig farms, most of them in northern Germany. There are around 375,000 farms in Germany.

The European Commission said last night that the hunt for potentially dioxin-tainted eggs had also turned to Britain.

Products withdrawn by Tesco*:

Tesco Caterpillar Cake - Best Before 10/01/11

Tesco Coconut Sponge 5.5" - Best Before 15/01/11

Tesco Raspberry Sponge 5.5"- Best Before 07/01/11

Tesco Value Raspberry Sponge 5.5" - Best Before 13/01/11, 15/01/11

Tesco Vanilla Party Tray Bake - Best Before 11/01/11

Tesco Christmas Chocolate Tray Bake - Best Before 07/01/11

Tesco Chocolate Sponge Cake - Best Before 10/01/11, 15/01/11

Tesco Victoria Sponge Cake - Best Before 12/01/11, 13/01/11, 15/01/11

* Only date codes listed are affected.