Tainted olive oil withdrawn from sale

By Rita Kyriakides

MACHERAS olive oil has been found to be unsuitable for human consumption and has been removed from the shelves of supermarkets.

Chief Health Ministry Inspector Lakis Anthousis yesterday told the Cyprus Mailthat tests done on the oil showed that it contained certain hydro- carbonates unfit for human consumption.

Members of the Health Ministry visited stores to remove the tainted oils a month ago and sent samples to England for testing.

In an announcement on Friday, the Health Authorities said that tests carried out abroad had found that the Macheras olive oil was unsuitable.

It was discovered the oil had not been properly refined.

” This product will be retained and refined until the manufacturers can satisfy the Health authorities that it is within permissible standards or else it will be destroyed,”said Anthousis.

According to the health inspector, the Macheras bottlers, based in Larnaca, had agreed to withdraw the tainted consignment from the market.

Supermarkets contacted yesterday all said the oil had been removed from their shelves.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.