Food recalls in EU – Week 4/2015

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: Salmonella spp. in organic sesame cream from Germany, following an official control on the market. Notified by Germany, distributed also to Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland.

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

– Allergens: undeclared wheat in noodles from Thailand, following an official control on the market. Notified by Denmark.

3. Alerts followed by a withdrawal from the market:

– Pathogenic micro-organisms: Salmonella Brandenburg in sausages from Italy, following an official control on the market. Notified by Italy, distributed also to Switzerland and San Marino;

– Pathogenic micro-organisms: Salmonella enteritidis (presence /25g) in chilled chicken fillets from Belgium, with raw material from the Netherlands, following company’s own check. Notified by Belgium, distributed also to United Kingdom;

– Industrial contaminants: dioxins and dioxin-like polychlorobifenyls (sum: 8.7 pg WHO TEQ/g) in cheese from Romania, following an official control on the market. Notified by Italy;

4. Seizures:

None

5. Border rejections:

• aflatoxins (B1 = 160; Tot. = 210 µg/kg – ppb) in nutmeg from Indonesia
• aflatoxins (B1 = 21; Tot. = 25.1 µg/kg – ppb) in peanut kernels from China
• aflatoxins (B1 = 26; Tot. = 27 µg/kg – ppb) in dried chillies from Pakistan
• aflatoxins (B1 = 72.3; Tot. = 76.6 / B1 = 118.5; Tot. = 128 µg/kg – ppb) in pistachios in shell from Iran
• ochratoxin A (21.1 µg/kg – ppb) in raisins from Uzbekistan
• buprofezin (0.28 mg/kg – ppm) and imidacloprid (0.21 mg/kg – ppm), triazophos (0.08 mg/kg – ppm), acetamiprid (0.24 mg/kg – ppm) and unauthorised substances isoprocarb (0.065 mg/kg – ppm) and N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET) (0.079 mg/kg – ppm) in green tea from China
• carbendazim (0.245 mg/kg – ppm) in sweet peppers from Turkey
• dimethoate (0.04 mg/kg – ppm) and unauthorised substances monocrotophos (0.26 mg/kg – ppm) and phorate (1.2 mg/kg – ppm) in betel leaves from India
• imazalil (10.2 mg/kg – ppm) in grapefruit from Turkey
• malathion (0.044 mg/kg – ppm) in sweet peppers from Turkey
• methamidophos (0.119 mg/kg – ppm) and acephate (0.920 mg/kg – ppm) in okra from India
• oxamyl (0.026 mg/kg – ppm) and lambda-cyhalothrin (0.11 mg/kg – ppm) in mix chillies from Egypt
• poor hygienic state of sesame seeds from Nigeria infested with larvae of insects
• unauthorised substance dichlorvos (0.04 mg/kg – ppm) in dried beans from Nigeria
• unauthorised substances trichlorphon (0.13 mg/kg – ppm) and dichlorvos (0.20 mg/kg – ppm) in dried sweet beans from Nigeria
• Salmonella Agona and Bredeney in sesame seeds from India and Salmonella spp in hulled sesame seeds
• Salmonella Havana in rice protein meal from China
• Salmonella spp. (presence /25g) in betel leaves from India
• Salmonella spp. (presence /25g) in frozen meat preparation and in frozen prepared turkey breasts from Brazil
• norovirus (presence /25g) in frozen clams from Vietnam
• poor temperature control (-10.4; -9.5; -10.6; -11.2; -11.1 °C) of frozen precooked tuna loins from Papua New Guinea
• residue level above MRL for oxytetracycline (251 µg/kg – ppb) in frozen sushi shrimps (Penaeus vannamei) from Vietnam
• suspicion of fraudulent health certificate(s) for rice cooking wine from China
• too high content of sulphite (3000 mg/kg – ppm) in dried apricots from Turkey
• too high content of vitamin B6 (50 mg/item) in food supplement from the United States
• unauthorised novel food ingredient jequirity (Abrus precatorius) in mouth freshener from India
• FCM: migration of bis(2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate (DOTP) (420 mg/kg – ppm) from lids of jars containing chili paste from Thailand
• FCM: migration of chromium (0.3 mg/kg – ppm) from peeler from China
• FCM: migration of nickel (0.2 mg/kg – ppm) from electric beater from China
• FCM: too high level of overall migration (55 mg/dm²) from vegetables cutting items from China
• FEED: Salmonella spp. (presence /25g) in dog chews from Turkey
• FEED: aflatoxins (B1 = 104 µg/kg – ppb) in shelled groundnuts for birdfeed from Brazil