Dioxin scare for French meat

26 May 1998

Dioxin scare for French meat

A LEADING environmental group yesterday called on the French Government to stop incinerating rubbish after discovering dangerous amounts of cancer-inducing dioxin in meat.

The French-based National Centre for Independent Information on Waste said it found high levels of dioxin contamination in veal, minced beef and steaks bought from five Paris supermarkets.

The contamination is said to occur when burnt waste enters the food chain after falling on pastures. France has 300 waste-burning incinerators, the highest concentration in Europe.

Britain imports less than 100 tonnes of French beef a month, out of a total of more than 6,000 tonnes from the whole of Europe.

• The Times 26/05/98 page 11