The Health and Welfare Ministry on Thursday lifted its temporary ban on the import of egg whites and dairy products from Belgium after it confirmed that these shipments were not contaminated with dioxin.
The ministry had slapped the de facto ban on these products after its was discovered in June that the Belgian produce may be contaminated with the carcinogen.
Import restrictions will remain in effect for chicken eggs, excluding egg whites, as well as meat from Belgian chickens, pigs and cows, ministry officials said.
According to studies on 1,300 dairy product samples by Belgian authorities, no trace of dioxin has been found, and fresh milk from 236 farms believed to have used contaminated feed was also problem-free.
Egg whites, which are used in powder form as an ingredient for cakes and cookies, have low fat content, and fat is where dioxin usually accumulates. Studies of egg whites also showed no contamination.
The European Union has already removed dairy products and egg whites from its list of items to be collected and disposed of, and the Health Ministry decided to follow suit after its own probes showed no problems, officials said.
According to the ministry, roughly 1,100 tons of dairy products and about 150 tons of processed egg whites imported between Jan. 15 and June 1 have been affected by a suspension of customs clearance or voluntary sales restraints.