Food recalls in EU – Week 15/2015

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:

– Allergens: traces of almond in blackened salmon portions from the United Kingdom, with raw material from Spain, following an official control on the market. Notified by United Kingdom;

– Biotoxins: puffer fish (Tetraodontidae) in monkfish fillets from Senegal, following an official control on the market. Notified by Germany, distributed also to Belgium, Denmark, Hungary, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland and United Arab Emirates;

– Foreign bodies: glass fragments in spelt flour from Belgium, following a consumer complaint. Notified by Netherlands.

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

None.

3. Alerts followed by a withdrawal from the market:

– Composition: too high content of vitamin D (125 µg/capsule) in vitamin D3 & K2 from the United States, following an official control on the market. Notified by Sweden, distributed also to Norway;

– Fraud: expiry dates changed of fish product from Italy, following an official control on the market. Notified by Italy, distributed also to Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland and United States;

– Pathogenic micro-organisms: Listeria monocytogenes (presence /25g) in 12 different types of vegetable mixes from Sweden, following company’s own check. Notified by Sweden, distributed also to Denmark and Finland;

– Pathogenic micro-organisms: foodborne outbreak (Clostridium botulinum) caused by zucchini and tomatoes in vegetable oil from Germany, following a consumer complaint. Notified by Austria, distributed also to Hungary, Slovenia and Switzerland;

– Pathogenic micro-organisms: too high count of Escherichia coli (330 MPN/100g) in mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) from Italy, following an official control on the market. Notified by Germany;

– Pathogenic micro-organisms: Salmonella typhimurium (presence /25g) in frozen raw turkey cutlets from France. Notified from France, distributed also to Germany and Switzerland.

4. Seizures:

None.

5. Border rejections:

• aflatoxins (B1 = 102.1; Tot. = 120.7 µg/kg – ppb) in peanuts and in organic blanched peanuts (B1 = 3.88; Tot. = 4.28 / B1 = 7.0; Tot. = 8.72 µg/kg – ppb) from Egypt
• aflatoxins (B1 = 11 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnuts from India
• aflatoxins (B1 = 16.5; Tot. = 17.4 µg/kg – ppb) in pistachios in shell from the United States
• aflatoxins (B1 = 170; Tot. = 185 µg/kg – ppb) in pistachios processed in Turkey, with raw material from Iran
• aflatoxins (B1 = 27; Tot. = 54 µg/kg – ppb) in peanut kernels, in peanuts (B1 = 7.5; Tot. = 9.9 µg/kg – ppb), in blanched peanuts (B1 = 4.4; Tot. = 13 / B1 = 3.4; Tot. = 4.1 µg/kg – ppb) and in blanched groundnut kernels (B1 = 4.8 µg/kg – ppb) from China
• aflatoxins (B1 = 4.8 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnuts from Brazil
• attempt to illegally import dried beans from Nigeria
• formetanate (0.749 mg/kg – ppm) in gherkin from Turkey
• FCM: migration of melamine (5.06 mg/kg – ppm) from melamine set (plate, spoon and fork) from Hong Kong
• omethoate and dimethoate (sum= 0.059 mg/kg – ppm) and unauthorised substances trichlorphon (0.28 mg/kg – ppm) and dichlorvos (0.26 mg/kg – ppm) in dried beans from Nigeria
• poor temperature control (-8; -12; -11 °C) of frozen tuna (Thunnus albacares) from Nicaragua and of frozen jumbo squid (Dosidicus gigas) (-9.8; -11.3; -11.4; -13.1; -10.9; -8.1 °C) from Peru
• prohibited substance nitrofuran (metabolite) furaltadone (AMOZ) (1.9 µg/kg – ppb) in pork casings from Egypt
• Salmonella enteritidis (2 out of 5 samples /25g) in frozen salted chicken fillets from Thailand
• Salmonella Montevideo (presence /25g) in hulled sesame seeds from India
• Salmonella spp. (presence /25g) in frozen salted chicken breast fillets from Brazil
• too high content of sulphite (184 mg/kg – ppm) in frozen shrimps (Penaeus vannamei) from Ecuador
• too high content of sulphite (2516 mg/kg – ppm) in dried apricots from Turkey
• unauthorised irradiation (curcuma longa extract: glow ratio 1,2 grape seed extract: glow ratio 0,88) of fruit extracts from China
• unauthorised substance monocrotophos (0.038 mg/kg – ppm) in fresh sweet peppers from Turkey