No concerns about contaminated vegetables in UAE

The Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) has confirmed that there are no contaminated vegetables in Abu Dhabi, a senior official told Gulf News Tuesday. "In view of the reported outbreak of E.coli in Europe [allegedly from Spanish vegetables], the ADFCA would like to assure the general public that Abu Dhabi market is free from the contaminated vegetables," Mohammad Jalal Al Reyaysa, Director of Communication and Community Service at ADFCA, said. The suspected contamination of Spanish vegetables by enterohaemorrhagic E.coli, also known as EHEC, has caused widespread concern across Europe. In Germany, the death toll from the outbreak rose to 11 on Monday, the Associated Press reported. Al Reyaysa said that all the fruits and vegetables imported from Europe were undergoing thorough screening at all entry points into the country. "We are observing and watching the situation very carefully and doing the needful to ensure maximum food safety in the emirate," he said. "We have been receiving information from the Infosan network [the International Food Safety Authorities network] on all food risks and [have taken immediate] action," he said. "We would like to reiterate that there is no need for panic whatsoever." Officials at the Ministry of Environment and Water, which oversees food imports, were not available for comment. Major retailers in the UAE have said there is no need for any concern as they are not importing Spanish vegetables or fruits. "The news on E.coli contamination is not a concern because we don't import Spanish vegetables or fruits," a spokesman for the Emke Group, which runs Lulu, the largest retail chain in the region, told Gulf News. Senior managers at the Abu Dhabi Cooperative Society and Abela Supermarket also confirmed that they were not importing Spanish vegetables. As part of precautionary measures, Austrian authorities on Monday sent inspectors to 33 organic supermarkets to ensure that Spanish vegetables they suspect are contaminated have been taken off the shelves, AP said. Meanwhile, German officials revealed that they are still unable to determine the exact source of the E.coli outbreak, despite confirmation that tainted Spanish cucumbers have carried the bacteria. "We have found the so-called EHEC pathogens on cucumbers but that does not mean that they are responsible for the whole outbreak," Andreas Hensel, president of Germany's Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, said. Spain, meanwhile, went on the defensive and said there was no proof that Spanish vegetables were behind the outbreak. Spain's Secretary of State for European Affairs, Diego Lopez Garrido, said Madrid could take action against those pointing fingers at the country. Spanish health minister Leire Pajin, noting that no Spanish cases had been reported, urged Germany to speed up its probe and establish proof of what has caused the outbreak. Germany's allegations "create alarm and affect the producers of a country without any evidence," she said. From / Gulf News