Poison paprika sparks Hungary ban
The Hungarian government has the sale of paprika after a poisonous substance was discovered in the stocks of three food .

The ban means Hungary's national dish, goulash, could be the menu as paprika is a key ingredient. Health minister Jenő Rácz said aflatoxin, produced by a fungus, had been found in imported paprika. But he said it was unlikely to the health of consumers unless they ate more than 500g of paprika in a week. Hungarians eat a lot of paprika, but it would take them a year to get that much. Mr Rácz said levels of aflatoxin in some samples were 10 times higher than . But he said aflatoxin could not in the Hungarian climate, and accused some food producers of mixing home-grown with stock imported from areas such as South America. "This toxin can only be found in paprika coming from the , which indicates that domestic producers mixed imported and domestic products, and customers," he said.
Bland
Mr Rácz said the ban would remain in until tests can ascertain how much paprika has been affected. He added that any paprika with an date later than 15 April 2005, was safe. Hungary exports around 5,000 tonnes of paprika a year but it is not clear whether any of the affected produce had been sent abroad. More than 40 different are grown in Hungary and its bright red colour and sweet hot taste up much of the country's cuisine - from goulash stew to red spicy sausages. The BBC's Bill Hayton says the ban, which covers not just paprika but food products containing it, could make life in Hungary much more . He says many restaurants only keep a week's supply on their shelves and if the ban is maintained will have to find other recipes for their customers.