Food recalls in EU – Week 13 – 2014

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

– Food additives and flavourings: undeclared sulphite in chilled sausage roll, following company’s own check. Origin United Kingdom, notified by Ireland;

– Biotoxins: Amnesic Shellfish poisoning (ASP) in clams, following an official control on the market. Origin France, notified by France, distributed also to Belgium, Italy and Spain;

– Pathogenic micro-organisms: Listeria Monocytogenes in gorgonzola cheese, following company’s own check. Origin Italy, notified by Spain, distributed also to Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland and United Kingdom;

– Pathogenic micro-organisms: Salmonella Spp. in food supplement – moringo powder, following company’s own check. Origin Germany, notified by Germany, distributed also to Austra, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland;

– Pathogenic micro-organisms: Salmonella in sausages with wild boar, following a consumer complaint. Origin Italy, notified by Italy, distributed also to United Kingdom;

We have also two recalls, following information for attention and information for follow up notification:

– Pesticide residues: methidathion in fresh oranges, following company’s own check. Origin Tunisia, notified by France;

– Food additives and flavourings: unauthorised use of colour E 127 – erythrosine in raspberry marshmallow fluff, following an official control on the market. Origin United States, notified by United Kingdom, distributed also to Malta.

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

– Allergens: undeclared gluten in gluten free maize, following company’s own check. Origin Italy, notified by Italy, distributed also to Slovenia;

– Composition: unauthorised substance androstenedione in food supplement, following an official control on the market. Origin Czech Republic, notified by Czech Republic, distributed also to Austria, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and United Kingdom;

– Mycotoxins: Aflatoxins in pistachios, following an official control on the market. Origin United States (via Germany), notified by Slovakia;

– Mycotoxins: Aflatoxins in mixed spices, following a border control. Origin Pakistan (via United Kingdom), notified by Ireland;

– Pathogenic micro-organisms: Listeria Monocytogenes in cheese, following an official control on the market. Origin France, notified by France, distributed also to Germany;

– Pathogenic micro-organisms: Norovirus in frozen raspberry, following company’s own check. Origin China, notified by Netherlands, distributed also to Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia;

– Pathogenic micro-organisms: Norovirus in oysters, following company’s own check. Origin France, notified by Denmark;

– Heavy metals: mercury in frozen slices of skinned mako, following an official control on the market. Origin Spain, notified by Italy;

– Heavy metals: mercury in frozen mako, following an official control on the market. Origin Portugal (processed in Spain), notified by Italy;

– Industrial contaminants: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in smoked sprats, following an official control on the market. Origin Estonia, notified by Czech Republic.

In Italy we had an information for attention for a food poisoning: botulinum in vegetables soup. Origin from Italy. Not distributed to other countries. We had also a seizure of frozen swordfish fillets for presence of heavy metals: mercury. Origin Spain.

Regarding border rejections we have, among the others, Salmonella in sesame seeds and in paan leaves from India, aflatoxins in pistachio from the United States, pistachio kernels from Iran and nutmeg from Indonesia, shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli in chilled beef meat from Argentina. Absence of health certificate(s) for peanuts, rice porridge, GM rice and rice crackers from China, and expired health certificate(s) for organic dried figs from Turkey. Attempt to illegally import paan leaves from Bangladesh, undeclared and too high content of sulphite in dried mango slices from Lebanon and in dried apricots from Turkey, raisins from India infested with moulds, malathion in fresh peppers from Turkey, acephate in basmati rice from India and residues above MRL for oxytetracycline in cooked shrimps from Vietnam. Unauthorised irradiation of food supplement from Russia, unauthorised novel food ingredient indole-3-carbinol (in pure form) in food supplement from the United States, unauthorised novel food ingredient Hoodia gordonii and novel food ingredient Tuckahoe (Peltranda virgilica) in slimming coffee from Thailand and lufenuron and unauthorised substances diafenthiuron and chlorfluazuron in green tea from China.

For feed, we don’t have any relevant notification this week.

For food contact materials we have an alert, followed by a withdrawal from the market:

– Heavy metals: migration of cadmium and lead from glass with gold rim, following an official control on the market. Origin Netherlands, notified by Germany.

About border rejections, we have migration of chromium from knives and spatula for grill from China. Migration of primary aromatic amines from nylon skimmer from China (via Hong Kong) and migration of chromium, nickel and manganese from kitchen set in steel from China.

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