Unipektin issues recall over additive concerns

Unipektin has issued recalls after a testing laboratory in Germany found levels of dioxin above EU standards in an additive made from guar gum produced and exported by Unipektin. The recalls affect manufacturers in Switzerland, Germany, France, Austria, Britain, Finland, Spain, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland, Australia, Japan and Turkey, according to SwissInfo newspaper. The additive, branded "Vidocrem", is used to thicken yogurt, vinaigrette, mayonnaise and ketchup. So far Switzerland's biggest retail chain Migros has recalled three cream powders of its Midor brand. Zurich's Tages-Anzeiger reported the additive contained between 12 and 156 picograms of dioxin per gram of fat in five samples tested by the German laboratory on 13 July. The EU maximum is one to six picograms per gram. So far regulators in the Swiss canton of Thurgau have ordered the confiscation and withdrawal of Vidocrem. The European Commission also issued a health warning to member states on 25 July. In a statement Unipektin said it was investigating how the contamination occured, and alleged the presence of the dioxin was due to a supplier in India. Unipektin claimed it unknowingly exported the contaminated Vidocrem, which it had processed from guar flour originally produced by India Glycols Limited. As a plant and low-fat product, guar flour was not considered a great risk and therefore not tested for dioxin, the company stated, as translated by SwissInfo.