31.  But Bild Zeitung newspaper said the blackmailers have been sending computer disks to European food companies.

32.  EU health ministers meanwhile, were trying to assess the danger to consumers and European food exports.

33.  European Union agriculture ministers gave the final go-ahead for a European food safety agency Monday, even though there is still no agreement on its location.

34.  Essen prosecutor Norbert Golsong provided few details Monday, but Bild Zeitung newspaper said the blackmailers have been sending computer disks to European food companies.

35.  French retailers outperformed in domestic markets, prompting gains among other European food retailers as talk about consolidation proliferated.

36.  Hong Kong had pulled the European food products off the market in early June, amid fears they could have been contaminated by cancer-causing dioxin.

37.  Hong Kong, like many other countries, pulled many European food products off the market in early June amid fears that they could be contaminated by dioxin.

38.  In the light of recent European food scares, Fischler also said the EU should tighten controls on animal feed.

39.  It led to a halt in sales of eggs, butter, chicken, meat and meat products as well as import bans on European food worldwide.

40.  Jitters over European food have spread across Asia following a scare over cancer-causing dioxin found in Belgian livestock feed.