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There is no imminent risk to the health of consumers from contaminated food additive E 412. The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority (CAFIA) has taken all measures to prevent the use of contaminated fruit base by producers and potentially risky products from penetrating the Czech market. In cooperation with the General Directorate of Customs, the Inspection Authority does not release on the market any consignments of additive E 412 originating in India, regardless its producer.

“Based on all available information, the health of Czech consumers is not imminently threatened by contaminated thickening agent E 412. The contaminated substance was detained in the Czech Republic already at the place of import and products in which it had been used were not, at the time when notification from the European Commission was received, in the distribution chain,” assures Minister of Agriculture Petr Gandalovič.

Information distributed to the Members States by the European Commission through the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) related to a food additive E 412 – depolymerised guar gum which is used as a thickening agent particularly for the production of fruit base for other food products.

This food additive was produced by the Indian company India Glycols Ltd., and imported to EU countries by the Swiss company Unipektin. It was imported to the Czech Republic by Agrana Fruit Bohemia, Kaplice, in a total amount of 1 900 kg.

“The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority objects to the way in which some of the Czech media informed the public about food additive E 412 contaminated with dioxins and pentachlorophenol,” says CAFIA Director General Jakub Šebesta. “We acted in accordance with the rules of the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) whose priority aim is the protection of consumer health.”

The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority (CAFIA), which is the National Contact Point for RASFF, received first notification from the European Commission on 25 July. This notification related to 400 kg of contaminated substance. The CAFIA immediately performed an inspection and found that the whole amount had already been processed in fruit base. All domestic and foreign purchasers, which in the Czech Republic is the company Danone and Yoplait, were immediately informed by Agrana Fruit Bohemia of the unsafe product. Moreover, the CAFIA ordered the company to inform the Inspection Authority of any quantity of returned contaminated fruit base and not to further treat it without the CAFIA’s consent.

The National Contact Point for RASFF received another notification on 31 July. This notification concerned another three lots of E 412 in the amount of 1500 kg. The CAFIA repeated the inspection and found that 920 kg from the total amount had already been processed in fruit base. The remaining 580 kg was immediately suspended and for now, it is not possible to treat it. The imposed measures apply to these consignments as well. According to the Agrana information, some 50 000 kg of unprocessed fruit base has been returned so far, which is approximately 60% of the total amount.

In cooperation with the General Directorate of Customs, the CAFIA does not release to internal market any supplies of food additive E 412 originating in India, regardless the producer. The Inspection Authority also continuously takes samples from all deliveries of this substance originating in India for analyses. First results are expected in these days. No products have been made so far from the consignments of E 412 from which these samples were taken, and these consignments have been detained.