'Mad cow' beef ban confuses supermarkets

By CHRIS DANIELS consumer reporter

Confusion marked the first day of a ban on European beef products yesterday, as goods were taken from supermarket shelves, then just as quickly put back.

New Zealand and Australian health authorities announced the "import suspension" on Friday, advising supermarkets to withdraw products from countries infected with BSE, or mad cow disease.

BSE has been implicated in the deaths of 85 young people from the brain-wasting disease variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD). The disease has never been found in New Zealand.

Three types of Robinsons baby food have been removed from supermarket shelves, unlikely to return for some time. The beef drink Bovril has also gone, while it is checked for compliance.

Oxo beef cubes were taken off sale, then quickly put back after manufacturer Unilever said they contained no beef, only artificial beef flavour.

It is now illegal to bring European beef products into New Zealand unless they can be shown to come from a BSE-free herd.

Woolworths' strategic development manager, Des Flynn, said the retail chain was told about the import suspension on Friday afternoon, but not which products to remove. It was hard for the company to work out exactly what to take off the shelves.

"It's quite difficult and messy the way the whole thing has been handled. It was Friday afternoon when we had a teleconference call. They weren't able to give us any list of products or brands we should be looking for."

Mr Flynn said Woolworths put together its own list of "at-risk categories," then sent teams of staff up and down every aisle to check for them.

Mark McDonough, owner of Zarbo Delicatessen & Cafe in Newmarket, said all his salamis came from Australia. As far as he knew it was not legal to sell European salami.

He did not know whether gelatin, which was included in many European chocolates, would also be caught up in the ban.

The Ministry of Health's chief medical adviser, Dr Colin Feek, said the potential risk of gelatin, which comes from rendered-down beef bones, had already been studied carefully, but monitoring would continue.

Gelatin is used to stabilise many foods and is included in cosmetics and ointments. It is also used to make drug capsules and coat pills.

"The World Health Organisation has given advice ... for a number of years now that the bovine part of gelatin has been derived largely from non-EU countries. They are usually Australia, New Zealand, Argentina or the United States."

Most drug companies are moving towards non-animal gelatin alternatives.

* Anyone with questions can ring the Ministry of Health on 0800-938-839 or visit its website at www.moh.govt.nz