The latest news, trends, analysis, interviews and podcasts from the global food and beverage industry

The Irish government has ordered a recall of all pork products linked to pigs slaughtered in Ireland, after laboratory tests found the presence of dioxins in animal feed and pork fat samples.

In a statement, the government said that preliminary evidence gathered by Ireland's Food Safety Authority (FSAI) indicated that the contamination began in September.

The FSAI advised consumers not to eat Irish pork and bacon products until it knew the extent of the contamination by dioxins, which have been linked to cancer.

It's not yet clear which countries would be affected beyond Ireland, but official figures for 2006 showed Britain was the biggest importer of Irish pigmeat, followed by Japan, Germany, Russia, France and the US.

FSAI spokesman Alan O'Reilly said the level of the dioxins found was 80 to 200 times the safe level.

Exposure to very high levels – such as during an industrial accident – has been associated with increased incidence of cancer, but officials said the risk to consumers posed by the current contamination was "extremely low".

The contamination is thought to have come from a feed mixture, and was identified at the end of November following routine testing. All pork products produced since 1 September have been recalled.

O'Reilly said a range of foods, including sausages, bacon and pizza toppings, should be destroyed, adding: "The whole idea is to try and limit the exposure of consumers to this form of chemical.”

The recall is likely to hit Ireland's pig industry hard, at a time when the economy as a whole is in recession. About 5,000 people work in the sector, which is worth about €400m ($500m).

An absolute disaster Padraig Walshe, President of the Irish Farmers' Association, said the situation was "an absolute disaster" for the country's pork producers.

"The Christmas market is the most important time of the year for the pig sector, with a lot of people contemplating buying hams along with turkey for the Christmas market," he told the RTE state broadcaster.

But he said he supported the government's action, adding that he expected Irish pork products to be back on the market as early as next week.

Ireland's food minister Trevor Sargent said he was working to ensure this happened as soon as possible but said ministers had no choice but to act.

"Food safety and the consumer's interest have been the main priority behind this government action," he said.

Britain's Food Standards Agency said it was monitoring the situation, but said there was no cause for alarm. "From the information that we have at this time, we do not believe there will be a significant risk to UK consumers," a spokesman said.

Dioxins Dioxins are persistent chemical contaminants in the environment. They can be formed naturally, such as in forest fires, but are usually by-products of certain industrial combustion and chemical processes.

Most dioxin exposure occurs through diet, with more than 95% coming from the consumption of animal fats, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. Dioxin levels in food are regulated.