Sesame seeds contaminated with ethylene oxide are responsible for the recall of many products made from this cereal.
Cookies, chocolate, hummus or even bagels have in fact been withdrawn from sale because they are suspected of containing too much of this pesticide, indicates UFC-Que Choisir.
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"Strongly suspected of being both carcinogenic and harmful to fertility"
, ethylene oxide is banned from use in Europe although it is authorized
"in certain imported products, including sesame seeds, within the limit of 0.05 mg / kg ”
, explains the consumer association.
But batches of sesame seeds from India recently showed rates up to 1,000 times higher than allowed.
According to UFC-Que Choisir, which quotes the European Commission, 34 lots would be concerned for the moment, containing a total of more than 250 tonnes of sesame seeds.
A list that could go on
Among the brands concerned are Odyssée and its organic Houmous, Tanoshi and its sesame mix, Gerblé and its sesame cookies, Lindt and its Excellence chocolate toasted sesame, or Picard and its organic cereal sliced bread.
The list of the forty or so products concerned is available on the website of the Directorate-General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF).
A list that could grow even longer, specifies UFC-Que Choisir, stressing that
“all products containing seeds from contaminated lots have not yet necessarily been identified”
.
