MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

South Korea bans mozzarella imports from Italy

Mozzarella cheese is prepared at a dairy in Caserta, near Naples

South Korea has banned the import of Italy's best mozzarella after reports some cheese was made with milk contaminated with cancer-causing dioxin, an official announced Monday in Seoul.

South Korea halted the import of buffalo mozzarella at the weekend and will conduct its own tests to see if there is dioxin contamination, according to an official from the agriculture ministry. "Once we identify the maker of the contaminated product and the period in which it was produced, we can then narrow the ban," the official said. South Korea imports about 10 tonnes of the product a year, the ministry said. Police near Naples last week said they were investigating whether feed given to buffalo herds, which produce the best milk for mozzarella, was tainted, possibly by gangsters involved in illegal waste disposal. The Italian farmers' association, Coldiretti, said the contamination only affected a tiny part of mozzarella producers. The cheese has been making inroads in Asia, where there is a growing market for gourmet Italian food in places such as Tokyo, Seoul and Taipei. Best known for its use on pizza, in Italy, "buffala", which costs at least twice as much as mozzarella made with cows' milk, is often eaten on its own or in a capprezze salad with fresh tomatoes and basil.