Swiss firm recalls food additive

Guar gum is used as a thickening agent in several food products

A Swiss manufacturer of food additives is recalling a thickening agent following reports it had been contaminated with the poison dioxin.

The firm, Unipektin, ordered the recall of several batches of a food additive containing guar gum.

The firm believes the contamination took place in India, its source for the raw material used in guar gum.

Dioxin is a chemical compound used in fertilisers and fungicides which can be carcinogenic in large doses.

Guar gum is made from the seed of guar plants, which are mostly grown in India and Pakistan.

Small quantities of guar gum are frequently added by food manufacturers to meat and dairy products.

A statement on Unipektin's website said the company had immediately contacted regulatory authorities after learning of the contamination.

"The responsible authorities assume that, due to the very low quantity of guar gum used, at no time did acute danger to the health of consumers exist," the statement said.

The firm said it had started efforts to retrieve the affected batches of guar gum already sent to its customers.

Levels of dioxin in Unipektin's guar gum product were found to be several times higher than allowed in the EU.

"According to our current state of knowledge," the company's website said, "the contamination occurred with an Indian supplier."

The firm's chief executive, Bruno Judd, told the website of Swiss news service, Swissinfo, that "the company has provided us with guar flour for about two years and so far we haven't had any problems".