Dutch seafood processor Foppen has been put on notice by government authorities for continuing to use a toxic forbidden substance in its seafood as recently as last year.
The company, according to local media (linked here in Dutch), has been using sodium nitrite, a forbidden chemical, as recently as November 2014, prompting the Dutch Food Safety Authority to issue a nine-month timetable for the company to eliminate its use. The ultimatum comes after the government warned Foppen about using the chemical back in 2010.
Sodium nitrite has a history of use as a dyeing agent and preservative in seafood, but it has since been shown to be toxic in humans in high doses and can be carcinogenic when reacting to natural elements found in food. The Dutch media article said the substance is forbidden, and learned of its use by filing a formal request for public documents from the Dutch government.
