Although it is too early to determine that the suspicion of Salmolna will affect Tnuva as it was in the Strauss case, the very fear published today (Thursday) that there is an infection in Tnuva's milk powder cannot help but mention the affair that agitated the country in 1995.
As you may recall, Tnuva has in the past been involved in consciously concealing information from the public, in what has been dubbed the "Silicon Affair."
So the company that added to the low-fat milk denied the chemical additive poly dimethyl siloxane.
The affair began following an investigation by Ronel Fischer in September 1995 in the "Weekend" supplement of the Maariv newspaper, and the investigation revealed that Tnuva added the chemical to its low-fat milk.
The chemical additive was used as a froth-preventing substance, and the milk packaging could be easily sealed after the milk was poured into the contents.
It is a polymer based on silicon, colorless and non-toxic.
The substance is suspected of being a carcinogen, and therefore the use of food is banned in most countries of the world, including Israel.
After the investigation, Tnuva published an ad in the media claiming that the milk was free of silicone additives.
This ad was misleading the public as in retrospect there was no dispute that the substance was indeed introduced into the resistant milk.
Suspected infection.
Tnuva factory in Rehovot, Photo: Yossi Zeliger
The company's managers have long denied the introduction of the material and tried to explain various explanations for its invention in the factory.
However, much evidence has revealed that the silicone containers were indeed found near the milk production line.
Following these testimonies, Tnuva began removing the milk from the shelves, and the company's version of events was changed.
The company claimed that although silicone was used, it was only used as a cleaning agent for the pipe system, which is why silicone residues were found in the milk.
In the end, following an internal investigation, Tnuva's management admitted to the default, when the company's CEO, Yitzhak Landsman, apologized in a personal statement for the affair and the rendering, and even ordered the plant manager to be suspended. And for the very importation of the substance that is not among the substances that may be added to milk under section 105 of the official Israeli standard.
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