Food recalls in EU – Week 4 – 2014

This week on the RASFF database (Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed) we have two recalls from consumers in EU, following an alert notification:

– Allergens: undeclared milk ingredient in buckwheat biscuits with almonds, following an official control on the market. Origin Germany, notification from Slovenia;

– Food additives and flavourings: sulphite in mustard, following an official control on the market. Origin Belgium, notification from Luxembourg.

Between the  information for follow-up, we have another recall:

– Composition: monoethylene glycol (MEG) in pita bread, following company’s own check. Origin and notification from Denmark, distributed also to Germany, Poland and Spain.

Between the alert notifications, followed by a withdrawal from the market of the product:

– Industrial contaminants: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in popcorn, following company’s own check. Origin United States, notification from Sweden, distributed also to Finland;

– Pathogenic micro-organisms: Listeria monocytogenes in goat cheese, following company’s own check. Origin and notification from France, distributed also to Belgium;

– Heavy metals: cadmium in fresh spinach, following an official control on the market. Origin and notification from Belgium, distributed also to Netherlands and Luxembourg;

– Pesticide residues: ethephon in table grapes, following company’s own check. Origin South Africa, notification from Netherlands, distributed also to Germany;

– Pesticide residues: ethephon in table grapes, following company’s own check. Origin Peru, notification from Netherlands, distributed also to Romania and Spain;

– Composition: too high content of vitamin B6 in food supplement, following an official control on the market. Origin United States, (via) Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, United Kingdom, Ukraine and Russia, notification from France;

– Composition: too high content of vitamin B6 in food supplement, following an official control on the market. Origin Hungary, notification from France;

– Allergens: undeclared milk ingredient in cake slices, following an official control on the market. Origin Netherlands, notification from United Kingdom;

– Biotoxins: Diarrhoeic Shellfish Poisoning (DSP) toxins – okadaic acid in live mussels, following an official control on the market. Origin Spain, notification from Italy.

In Italy we have also a seizure of frozen deer meat for shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli. Origin Austria.

Regarding border rejections we have, among the others, Salmonella in frozen salted chicken breast fillets from Brazil, in fish meal from Morocco, in paan leaves from Bangladesh and in frozen boiled clams from Vietnam. Shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli in frozen beef and boneless beef from Brazil. Aflatoxins in groundnut kernels from China, in pistachio kernels from the United States, via Turkey, in dried figs and dried lerida figs from Turkey. Ochratoxin A in ginger powder from India and in raisins from Uzbekistan. Absence of or improper health certificate for pistachio nuts from Iran, pistachios from Turkey and coconut crackers (containing sticky rice flour 18%) from China. Norovirus in chilled clams from Tunisia, poor temperature control of frozen hake from Namibia, prohibited substance nitrofuran (metabolite) nitrofurazone (SEM) in frozen headless shrimps from Bangladesh, too high content of sulphite in dried apricots from Turkey, formetanate and thiophanate-methyl in sweet peppers from Turkey, malathion in fresh peppers from Turkey, parathion-methyl in chickpeas from India and unauthorised substance dichlorvos  in oloyin beans from Nigeria.

For food contact materials we have border rejections for kitchen utensil (milk frother and turner) from China, via Hong Kong unfit for use as food contact material (stainless steel AISI 201).

Related articles

• Food recalls in EU – Week 3 – 2014 (www.foodlawlatest.com)
• Food recalls in EU – Week 2 – 2014 (www.foodlawlatest.com)
• Food recalls in EU – Week 1 – 2014 (www.foodlawlatest.com)
• Food recalls in EU – Week 52 (www.foodlawlatest.com)
• Food recalls in EU – Week 51 (www.foodlawlatest.com)