Major supermarkets started removing products which use Belgian poultry and egg ingredients from their shelves yesterday after strong warnings from the Food Safety Authority and the Department of Health about their safety.
Superquinn had removed up to 40 products by last night, Tesco had removed a large number of pates which use Belgian poultry as an ingredient, while Dunnes Stores said it was "reviewing" its product range in the light of the warnings.
The Food Safety Authority said it had been inundated with phone calls from consumers worried about the possible impact of eating food made with Belgian poultry and egg ingredients.
This followed the EU's decision on Wednesday to order the removal from sale and destruction of all Belgian chickens, eggs and poultry products throughout Europe. The EU took its decision after concern that some Belgian poultry and eggs could contain carcinogenic chemical dioxin.
A spokesman for Superquinn said the supermarket was removing the products as a "precautionary measure" and was awaiting verification from the Food Safety Authority about which ones might be safe.
He said it was difficult to identify quickly all the products which used the Belgian ingredients and "one or two products are being added to the list every hour". A spokesman for Tesco said it had instructed all stores to remove any products which could be a danger.
The Food Safety Authority extended its warning yesterday, telling consumers to avoid products which used Belgian pork as an ingredient. This was after the Belgian authorities halted the slaughter of all pigs as further questions were raised about animal feed containing dioxin being used on some farms in the country.
A spokeswoman for the authority said that, while the EU Commission had yet to make a judgment on the safety of pork, as a "precaution" consumers should not consume food containing Belgian pork.
However, she added that people who may have eaten products with Belgian ingredients previously should not be alarmed. "The only potential danger comes from long exposure to these products," she said.
A large number of calls to the Food Safety Authority's helpline (1800-336677) came from consumers worried that Belgian chocolate might be infected with the dioxin. However, the authority pointed out that eggs are not generally used in the manufacture of Belgian chocolate.
The EU restrictions apply to eggs and chickens produced between January 15th and June 1st and cover all products from the affected farms containing at least 2 per cent eggs.
The Department of Agriculture on Wednesday moved to detain all Belgian poultry and egg produce in circulation in the Republic and said it would continue with this policy for the foreseeable future.