Showing posts with label European Commission Health Ministry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label European Commission Health Ministry. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

What's Wrong With Wonky Wares?


Europeans ought to be told that wonky fruits and vegetables do not cause misshapen bodies. The sagging weights in their chests are not due to an overripe papaya, nor are the waves of fat in their bottoms caused by giant pumpkins; but by the voracious appetite and fancy for sweets that has left a sour look on their faces in the mirror. It is a combination of volume, type and manner of food they eat, regardless of its shapely look, plus a sedentary lifestyle, that cause bulges and flabs across a wide surface of wrinkled and freckled skin.

At a time when growing demand, food scarcity and high prices is drastically changing the shape and physical appearance of the poorest populations in the world, Europeans worry about the form and size of what they consume and discard those that are not according to standard. The first known European standard was devised by Hitler when he was developing the look and structure of the genuine Aryan Race for the new German order. Little is known if they were fed standard sized fruits and vegetables. But the European Commission wanted to loosen the implementation of these requirements that prevent distorted items from being sold alongside the more shapely ones. This effort has been resisted by many EU member countries.

The Europeans are fond of complicated rules for food, much like the Neapolitan Pizza certification that requires specific sources of tomatoes, buffalo milk for the mozzarella, among others; and the commission wanted to simplify these by removing unnecessary standards to cut red tape. But their complex marketing rules have prevailed, even if it has generated debates that rival nuclear disarmament, on how straight a banana should be or how much curvature will be allowed for a cucumber. No doubt, a series of discussions that will shake the world out of its axis.

The Commission has conceded to put a special label on such fruits and vegetables as "For use in cooking" only. Thus, the poor fruit or vegetable will experience discrimination and labeling. But even this concession was denied. The thing is, even with such a label, will not the fruit or vegetable also be eaten even if cooked? Will cooking reshape these or would its dangerous properties be removed by heat? Or is it just aesthetics that matter? This concession looked sillier than the resistance to it.

Is there some superstition behind the standards that ensures no freaky looking products are sold in Europe? Certainly, these products cannot take the blame for Europe's share of freaks in its history, nor the freaky calamities that passed the continent and caused much suffering. But Europeans have always been particular about how they do things and the tested ways in which their methods are formulated. For them, the traditions and the purity of the process ensures the quality of the European brand. Tradition is continuity, and therein lies the assurance that a succession of generations will propagate the values, ethics and attitudes of their esteemed ancestry. The family name and coat of arms endures, and the legacy lives on.

It is a legacy that people from the African and Asian continents should be familiar with. A legacy of European colonialism that is summed up as indifference to the colonies' plight, and deference for the colonials' interests and standards. And while people in Africa and Asia are starving to death, Europeans want to discard the freaky food items. It's difficult to tell which ones are the real freaks eh?

Haaaarrrrwwwwwk...Twooooooph...Ting!

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Mystery of the Mothballed Mozzarella


One of Italy's most prestigious and profitable products, buffalo milk mozzarella, may have been soured by the European Commission's finding that it is contaminated with cancer causing dioxins. A European embargo was being set against the product. The Italian government had no choice but to recall the contaminated cheese destined for distribution in the country and for export to the USA, Japan, and European countries. The question of what to do with 33,000 tonnes of mozzarella made from milk of 250,000 buffalo herds in a few Italian regions caused a crisis that spanned the cheese producers, dairy farmers, milk distributors, and the entire dairy industry, that roughly employs about 200,000 people.

Buffalo Milk Mozzarella is a ball of milky cheese cushioned in its own protective fluid. It is considered one of the finest delicacies in the world and a staple of Italian cooking. Of total production, only about 20% or less are exported. The problem of contamination has decreased sales by two thirds and some cheese makers have stopped operations altogether. The biggest worry of most food manufacturers is that the catastrophe will put Italy in bad light and damage the country's enviable reputation for high quality foodstuffs. Talk was already being made about the decline of "Made in Italy" products which is feared to snowball against the country's entire manufacturing capability.

The Italian authorities were however, uncharacteristically quick to isolate the origin of the problem. The Health Ministry said that the contaminated mozzarella came from 25 producers in the Campania region near Naples. They also found an immediate clue, the recent garbage crisis in Naples; and a suspect, the local mafia control of garbage disposal may have also dumped toxic waste in the area causing the dioxins to contaminate the air, water or feeds. This is all so convenient, and the usual suspects will be rounded up for questioning. With this isolation, the Italians also found a loophole in the European Commission's findings: that the dioxins were over the stringent standards but not excessive, and not enough to cause cancer unless mozzarella is consumed three 3 times daily for three months!

With this isolation and counter argument, the Italian authorities vowed to take additional steps to decrease the dioxin levels of the recalled cheese that originated from 105 other producers in regions outside of Campania. France has lifted the ban and the UK has declared no immediate risk to consumers. European Commission Health Ministry said that it was satisfied with the measures taken by Italy and the threatened EU embargo was not necessary. Japan meanwhile is conducting its own test from the freshly delivered batch it imported.

The swift solution, less than seven days from the time the finding was announced, has everyone smiling and happy. How much cheese was being produced in Campania, and why were they sacrificed? Are they politically at odds with the government or were they the only plausible excuse to save the rest? Will they get compensated for their cheese? If they are really the source of the highest levels of contamination, does not the argument about "non-excessive levels" used by Italy's Health Ministry include their output? Is there a trade off here somewhere? Will their products be repacked and mixed with those of other regions? Or will these be given to the mafia to distribute as an "offer no one can refuse"? Would this not be cheesy?

There is really no way to find out since the EC and EU member countries seem to have closed the issue and are satisfied with the agreements made. The Japanese test could be the remaining verifier of the truth, unless the guilty buffaloes come out and plead openly or simply drop dead. Italian authorities will not force a confession from any of these animals fearing they might call a strike and all 250,000 of them will refuse to be milked. If that happens, cheese producers will have to find another quick solution, but there are serious doubts if mozzarella made from mother's milk will taste as good.

Haaaarrrrwwwwk...Twoooooph...Ting!