Toxic mozzarella from Naples

Italy's buffalo mozzarella industry was in crisis yesterday as a third of producers faced closure amid fears that their cheese had been contaminated with cancer-causing substances.

Several batches of the cheese have been
discovered to contain traces of dioxins, which can cause birth
defects and organ failure. The Italian government said "around
30" of Campania's 85 buffalo mozzarella producers would be shut
down immediately to reassure the public.

There had been fears that the milk from
water buffalo grazing in Campania had been contaminated with
pollutants because of the rubbish crisis in Naples. Waste has been
festering in the greater Naples area for months because of a shortage
of incinerators.

The European Union said 23 producers
and four farms were linked to cheese with illegal dioxin levels. None
of the cheese had been exported. A European Commission spokesman said
the levels were higher than the EU limit, "but not extremely
high".

The message did nothing to reassure the
Italian public, however. A poll for Sky Italia, a satellite
television network, showed that 62 per cent of Italians would no
longer buy the delicacy, while the confederation of producers said it
had "already lost 30 million euros [£24 million] of
sales". 

Around 80 per cent of buffalo
mozzarella is consumed inside Italy, but the UK is one of its most
important export markets.