COPENHAGEN, August 11 (AFP) - Denmark on Wednesday banned the sale of 12 new Kellogg's breakfast cereals and six new cereal bars after food safety officials said additives in the products made them health hazardous.
"The company wants to add iron, calcium and vitamin B6 in too large quantities," the Veterinary and Food Administration said, adding that if eaten in large enough amounts the products could be harmful to consumers' health.
This is the first time that Danish authorities have rejected foods enriched with vitamins and minerals since a European Union ruling in 2003 forced the Scandinavian country to embrace such additives.
The Danish agency said it had based its decision on "a scientific evaluation of (food) safety."
Although Denmark's center-right government has authorized food producers to add vitamin supplements to their products, Consumer Affairs Minister Henriette Kjaer supported the agency's decision.
"In this case, the experts deem that 18 products could put consumers at risk, and that is why, in my opinion, we cannot let them be distributed on the market," she told Danish news agency Ritzau.
Denmark's National Consumer Agency, which has traditionally fought to keep additives out of Danish food, also said it was pleased with the decision to block the products.
"It is very important that we take this case very seriously because supplements are not candies. One must be careful not to consume too much because they are harmful in large quantities," said Gitte Gross, a scientific food expert at the consumer agency.
The agency did not list specific brand names, but media reports here said the ban included Corn Flakes, Frosties, Rice Krispies and Special K, among others. It was not known whether the ban would mean all of those Kellogg's products would no longer be available in Denmark.
Nordisk Kellogg's, the Nordic branch of the US food giant, said it was disappointed by the decision, pointing out that the rejected products are currently being sold legally in other EU countries, and insisting that they don't pose a health threat.
"We respect this decision and will cooperate with the (Danish) authorities to find a solution," head of Nordisk Kellogg's John Buckles said.
Denmark has fought hard over the years to keep enriched foods, widely found in most EU states, off its shelves, and many of the country's experts have repeatedly insisted that anyone who eats a varied, healthy diet consumes all the vitamins and minerals they need -- without supplements.