Contaminated Belgian products

The Embassy of Belgium would like to rectify some wrong information to Indonesian consumers following the contamination of some Belgian products with dioxin.

Some supermarkets and retailers in Jakarta and elsewhere in the country are currently putting up signs assuring their customers that no Belgian products are sold in their stores. Some even go so far as to imply that all Belgian products contain dioxin, a substance that carries a serious health hazard. By doing so, a completely wrong impression and unnecessary fear is created among Indonesian customers. It is only right to provide Indonesian customers with accurate information.

The dioxin contamination in Belgium occurred during the production process of animal feed destined for poultry, eggs, pork, beef and dairy products. It is therefore only in those sectors that there is a potential for contamination. The contamination, which according to the latest scientific evidence concerns one gram of dioxin, started accidentally in January when a certain lubricant got into nine food mills, thereby passing possibly contaminated feed to 1488 poultry, pork and cattle farms. The products of these farms thus carry the risk of contamination.

Since the discovery of the contamination, the Belgium authorities have spared no effort to trace all products that might have been in touch with the contaminated batch of feed. An extensive emergency program whereby every single company is thoroughly checked is still underway to make absolutely sure that every product for consumption is 100 percent safe.

Only those producers whose products now comply with the strictest safety standards receive a certificate, sanctioned by the European Union, allowing them to sell and export their products. Since June 17, the situation in Belgium and Europe has been normalized. All above-mentioned suspect products were immediately removed from the shelves and destroyed.

As far as Indonesia is concerned, the Ministry of Health published a list of products from four European countries, among them Belgium, of which the sale is not allowed in Indonesia. The Indonesian authorities thereby fully respected the scientific evidence and limited its ban to those products only where there is a risk of contamination. At the same time random tests were and still are taken to detect possible dioxin contamination in imported Belgian products. Until now all tests proved negative. The sale of some products on the lists has already been freed, and assurances are given that new Belgian products with the necessary certificates of health will be allowed again on the Indonesian market. In the meantime, the removal of suspect products has been ordered by the Ministry of Industry and Trade: The order only concerns poultry, eggs, pork, beef and dairy products imported since January 19, 1999.

While expressing their sincere regrets for the anxiety caused to consumers and customers of Belgian food products, the Belgian authorities want to stress again their determination to clarify this situation in a spirit of openness and good faith. Only then will confidence come back to the markets and consumers. The Belgian authorities, together with the Belgian food industry and competent European authorities, are fully committed to entirely solve the problem within the shortest possible delay.

PETER L CLAES

Charge d'Affaires a.i.

Belgian Embassy,

Jakarta