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| German authorities are investigating allegations of fraud over the mislabelling of eggs as organic. |
It is claimed that the hens live in conditions that do not conform to organic regulations.
The farm minister said that if the accusations are proved to be true, it would be "fraud on a grand scale".
Farm Minister Ilse Aigner said in a statement that the mislabelling of eggs would be "fraud against consumers but also fraud against the many organic farmers in Germany who work honestly".
She urged regional governments to ensure the full implementation of tough German and EU laws on organic food production.
The investigations come as Europe's food industry has been engulfed by a meat processing and labelling scandal after multiple processed meat products labelled as beef were revealed to contain quantities of horsemeat.
An additional 50 farms in two other German states are also under investigation for mislabelling eggs as organic.
Organic food is increasingly popular in Germany and consumers are willing to pay a premium for products they believe conform to strict standards.
Two years ago, a European Union-wide health alert was sparked when German officials said animal feed tainted with dioxin had been fed to hens and pigs, contaminating eggs, poultry meat and pork at affected farms.
From other news sites
- Xinhua News Agency German authorities investigate possible organic egg fraud 10 hrs ago
- Reuters UK Ikea finds horsemeat and new food scandal hits eggs 13 hrs ago
- Deutsche Welle Egg fraud scandal hits already food-conscious Germany 17 hrs ago
- Scientific American* Germany Investigates Possible Organic Egg Fraud 18 hrs ago
- Expatica Germany Probe launched into German 'organic' eggs 20 hrs ago
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21573158
