National
Sunflower oil scare in Spain
By h.b.
Apr 26, 2008 - 6:12 PM

The Ministry for Health in Spain has ordered the withdrawal from sale of sunflower oil across the country. It comes as part of a European alert after hydrocarbons were found in batches of the oil from the Ukraine.

The problem was first detected in France, and the risk of contamination is said to be ‘minimal’ but even so the Health Department has withdrawn the oil from sale and said that people should not use the sunflower oil they have at home until it is known which brands could be affected.

The source of the problem is Ilyichevsk in the Ukraine where the sunflower oil was mixed with cheaper mineral oils before being shipped on some six boats to France, Spain, Italy and Holland. The oil could be have been used also by other manufacturers, of sauce for example.

The Spanish Minister for Health, Bernat Soria, said on Saturday afternoon that the order not to use sunflower oil would be lifted soon. In a statement made in Sevilla, he called for calm and said the situation was under control, but declined to reveal the brands affected ‘for prudence’.

The European Commission has said that the adulterated oil is not dangerous to health.