China Bans Italian Mozzarella Cheese

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China has issued a ban on the sale of mozzarella cheese, as well as recalled all mozzarella that has already been sold in the country, according to a news report.

The ban also affects both the mailing and physical carrying in of cheese into China.

This ban comes one day following Italy's issuance of a recall on mozzarella, stating that it might be contaminated with a cancer-causing dioxin. Some of Italy's cheese from the Campania region might have contained "more dioxin than permitted", which could have been related to contaminated cattle feed.

Japan and South Korea have also blocked the import of mozzarella, while Singapore halted its sales of the cheese. France briefly banned the cheese but lifted the ban after assurance that the potentially contaminated cheese had not been delivered to their country.

According to the Chinese Administration for Quality Supervision Inspection and Quarantine

Every batch of other kinds of cheese products from Italy must go through laboratory tests before they are allowed to enter the country

The Italian Ambassador to China is expected to ask for the ban to be lifted on Sunday, as there are no direct exports of the contaminated cheese to China, according to the ANSA news agency.

European consumers have been given assurances that the contaminated cheese has not been exported to European countries.

Over three-quarters of a million US dollars are lost daily over the scare, according an Italian Farmers Group, since the scare began about a week ago.

Some believe that China's response to the cheese is odd in light of the troubles it has seen over the past year due to safety recalls associated with the country's food and product exports.