German Eggs Contaminated with Dioxin

Just the other morning I heard Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, announce some new regulations that went into effect January 1 to ensure the safety of the food we import from overseas. She even made a remark about guaranteeing that the sea bass we import from Chile would be as safe as the lobsters we get off the shores of Maine.

Well, if I were you, I wouldn't eat any chicken that comes from Germany. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, German investigators have found excessive levels of dioxin in chickens that apparently been fed tainted feed. Apparently the investigators caught the problem before anyone actually ate the chicken, and eggs, containing excessive levels of the contaminant were pulled from the shelves.

The problem can be traced back to the fat found in the chicken feed. Fat that is produced for use in chicken feed pellets was reported to have contained more than 77 times the amount of dioxin approved for commercial use. Dare I wonder if any of that fat stemmed from rendered horsemeat?

In any event, the ban has spread across parts of Europe to include products made with German eggs, including quiche, cakes and other baked goods.

Dioxins are contaminants that have been shown to cause cancer, if exposed to them a high levels. So far, all indications are that the amounts found in the eggs are low levels, but still higher than permitted by law.