Russia bans import of seeds, beans from Egypt

10/07/2011 12:00 - 390 Views

Russia's food safety watchdog Rospotrebnadzor has imposed a ban following the European Union (EU) on import of certain types of produce from Egypt over food safety concerns, a Russian official said Wednesday.

Chief sanitary inspector Gennady Onishchenko said that Russia banned import of rucola, radish and beetroot sprouts and various sorts of beans, both raw and processed.
He said these produces were suspected to be the cause of the outbreak of an "acute stomach infection" in Europe.

EU last Tuesday agreed to ban the import of certain types of seeds from Egypt as Egyptian fenugreek seeds were reported to be linked with the outbreak of E coli in Europe.
Onishchenko said Rospotrebnadzor made the decision after it received a letter from EU Health and Consumer Commissioner John Dalli who warned about the danger of certain types of Egypt produces.

The E coli outbreak has killed over 50 people in Europe since it was first reported in late May.

Thursday July 7 2011
Source: thefinancialexpress-bd.com