Israel's largest dairy manufacturer was fined nearly 16 million U.S. dollars on Tuesday for adding excessive silicone to its milk in mid-1990s, local daily Ha'aretz reported.
In a class-action suit, the Tel Aviv District Court found that the Tnuva Food Industries Ltd., whose sales account for a major portion of Israeli dairy market, added 10 times more silicone than the maximum allowed to its ultra-high-temperature milk from January 1994 to September 1995, according to the report.
"It was not a mistake, but a planned deception bordering on fraud and a serious breach of trust toward consumers and regulatory authorities," the court said before announcing the fine of some 15.7 million dollars.
The court also blamed the Health Ministry for its lack of supervision of Tnuva.
Except a small amount of the fine that will go to the plaintiffs, the remaining will not be delivered to the victims, but rather be used for price reduction, research and scholarships in food and nutrition, and supply of free milk for the needy, said the ruling.
In response, Tnuva protested the ruling, saying that multiple measures have been carried out to compensate for the mistake "that today we find difficult to fathom."
"The incident occurred 13 years ago. Following the case, the entire management connected with the case was replaced," said the company in a statement, adding that its production practices have since undergone significant changes.
The company said it is considering its next steps.
Source:Xinhua
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