The Egyptian agriculture ministry denies that it is the source of the recent E coli outbreak in Europe, contradicting the European Food Safety Agency which said on Tuesday that fenugreek seeds imported from Egypt were to blame.

 

The Egyptian Agriculture ministry said the suspected batch dated back to November 2009 and contained dried seeds, arguing that the bacteria could not have survived for so long.

"If the fenugreek sprouts are suspected of being contaminated by an E coli strain, it could be down to different processes, such as their re-packing or the water used for sprouting," said a statement from the ministry.

Europe's food safety agency, the EFSA on Tuesday identified a15-tonne batch imported to Germany and then distributed elsewhere as "the most likely common link between the two outbreaks", but noted that subsequent imports could also be implicated.

As a result of the EFSA conclusions, the European Union imposed a temporary ban on all seeds and beans from Egypt.

The import ban, in force until October 31, affects all Egyptian seeds, fruit and spores used for sowing - including soya beans, dried leguminous vegetables and oil seeds.

 

Source: RFI