Food recalls in EU – Week 52/2014

Our weekly report on EU food alert is coming back, with a more concise and immediate format.

This week on the EU RASFF (Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed) we can find the following notifications:

1. Alerts followed by a recall from consumers:

– Pathogenic micro-organisms: Listeria Monocytogenes (4900 CFU/g) in organic gorgonzola from Italy, following an official control on the market. Notified by Austria.

2. Information for attention/for follow up followed by a recall from consumers:

– Allergens: undeclared gluten (>50 mg/kg – ppm) in dried egg noodles from Vietnam, following a food poisoning. Notified by Denmark.

3. Alerts followed by a withdrawal from the market:

– Industrial contaminants: dioxin-like polychlorobifenyls (4.19 pg WHO TEQ/g) in cheese from Romania, following an official control on the market. Notified by Italy.

4. Seizures:

In Italy seizures of skinless smoothhound shark (Mustelus mustelus) and frozen swordfish from Portugal, due to presence of mercury, and in Belgium seizure of cardboard box containing rice (FCM) from India, due to migration of benzophenone.

5. Border rejections:

– chlorantraniliprole (0.072 mg/kg – ppm) in peas from Kenya

– carbendazim (1.2 mg/kg – ppm) in dragon fruit from Vietnam

– too high count of Escherichia coli (330 MPN/100g) in live clams (Ruditapes decussatus) from Tunisia

– aflatoxins (several notifications) in pistachios from Iran

– methomyl (0.18 mg/kg – ppm) in strawberry from Egypt

– FCM: migration of primary aromatic amines (0.72; 0.65; 0.56 mg/kg – ppm) from nylon tongs from China

– iprovalicarb (0.066 mg/kg – ppm) and unauthorised substance carbofuran (0.039 mg/kg – ppm) in chilli peppers from Thailand

– aflatoxins (B1 = 185 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnut kernels and groundnut kernels for birdfeed (FEED) from the Gambia

– FCM: migration of nickel (0.7 mg/kg – ppm) from steel parts of toaster from China