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Wheat chief arrested over food contamination

11/01/2006

The head of Europe's biggest pasta mill has been arrested on charges of poisoning foodstuffs.

Italian entrepreneur Francsco Casillo, 39, was arrested by police in Italy on a warrant charging him with tampering, counterfeiting and poisoning foodstuffs.

Mr Casillo is managing director of the Molino Casillo Francesco mill in Bari, Italy.

The charges relate to the importation of 58,000 tonnes of wheat from Canada last September, which was found to be contaminated with cancer-causing toxins. Laboratory tests showed the toxicity levels were three times above European limits.

He is alleged to have tried to mix the durum wheat with other uncontaminated grain in order to sell if for both animal and human food stuffs.

Neither Mr Casillo, his family nor the company has yet made any comment on the arrest.

It is unclear whether any of the contaminated wheat made its way into human foods or whether any of the company's other products are implicated.

The company owns four mills in southern Italy and claims to be the European leader in the production of semolina for pasta and the world's largest private buyer of durum wheat. It claims on its website to give "special attention" to food safety.

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