Food recalls in EU – Week 17/2015

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:

– FCM: migration of primary aromatic amines (aniline: 0.07; 0.01; 0.02 mg/kg – ppm) from colander with strainer from Turkey, via Greece, following an official control on the market. Notified by Cyprus.

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

– Allergens: undeclared milk ingredient in toffees selection from Germany, following an official control on the market. Notified by United Kingdom;

– Pesticide residues: unauthorised substance chlorfenapyr (0.03; 0.047; 0.062 mg/kg – ppm) in sweet pepper from Hungary, following a consumer complaint. Notified by Hungary.

3. Alerts followed by a withdrawal from the market:

– Allergens: undeclared soya (4.96 mg/kg – ppm) in pate with goose meat from Poland, following an official control on the market. Notified by Slovakia;

– Biotoxins: yessotoxin (YTX) (5.30 mg/kg – ppm) in chilled mussels from Italy, following an official control on the market. Notified by Italy, distributed also to France;

– Biotoxins: yessotoxin (YTX) (5.625 mg/kg – ppm) in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) from Italy, following an official control on the market. Notified by Italy, distributed also to Austria an Czech Republic;

– Composition: unauthorised substance sildenafil thiono analogue (dithiodesmethylcarbodenafil, desmethylcarbodenafil and carbodenafil) in food supplement from Latvia, via Portugal, following an official control on the market. Notified by France;

– Heavy metals: mercury (2.4 mg/kg – ppm) in frozen swordfish fillets from Vietnam, following an official control on the market. Notified by Belgium, distributed also to Czech Republic, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands and United Kingdom;

– Industrial contaminants: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (benzo(a)pyrene: 902.5; sum PAH: 3189 µg/kg – ppb) in organic chlorella from China, following an official control on the market. Notified by Germany, distributed also to Austria, Czech Republic and United Kingdom;

– Mycotoxins: aflatoxins (B1 = 51.3 µg/kg – ppb) in pistachios from Iran, via Germany, following an official control on the market. Notified by Italy;

– Pathogenic micro-organisms: Salmonella typhimurium (presence /25g) in frozen and chilled turkey cutting parts from France, following company’s own check. Notified by France, distributed also to Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Italy and Spain.

4. Seizures:

In Belgium, following official controls on the market, we had seizures for:

– high content of lead (43.8 mg/kg – ppm) in food supplement from India;

– mercury (1.37 mg/kg – ppm) in food supplement from India, via the Netherlands;

– mercury (0.14 mg/kg – ppm) in food supplement from Germany.

5. Border rejections:

• aflatoxins (B1 = 13.4; Tot. = 13.9 µg/kg – ppb) in chilli powder from India
• aflatoxins (B1 = 27.7; Tot. = 31.8 µg/kg – ppb) in unshelled groundnuts, in peanut butter (B1 = 5.0; Tot. = 14.3 / B1 = 4.2; Tot. = 12.9 / B1 = 2.2; Tot. = 8.7 µg/kg – ppb) and in peanuts (B1 = 3.2 µg/kg – ppb) from China
• aflatoxins (B1 = 28; Tot. = 29 µg/kg – ppb) in pistachios in shell and in pistachio kernels (B1 = 90; Tot. = 100) from Turkey
• aflatoxins (B1 = 32.2 µg/kg – ppb) in pistachios from Iran
• biphenyl (3.33 mg/kg – ppm) in lemons from Turkey
• chlorpyrifos (0.26 mg/kg – ppm) in black olives in brine from Egypt
• corrosion of canned bamboo shoots from China with defective packaging
• dead insects (30.6 %) in organic dried figs from Turkey
• imazalil (0.140 mg/kg – ppm) in pomegranates from Turkey
• malathion (0.109 mg/kg – ppm) in sweet peppers from Turkey
• FCM: migration of chromium (>0.1 mg/l), of nickel (>0.1 mg/l) and of manganese (>0.1 mg/l) from steel knives from Vietnam
• FCM: migration of manganese (0.4 mg/kg – ppm) and too high level of overall migration (34 mg/kg – ppm) from stainless steel thermos from China
• FCM: migration of nickel (0.2; 0.3 mg/kg – ppm) from airwave ovens grids from China
• FCM: too high level of overall migration (158 mg/dm²) from plastic pallet from China
• missing import declaration for mint from Vietnam
• poor temperature control ( -6.5, -9.2, -9.2 & -11 °C) of frozen cape hake (Merluccius capensis) and deepwater hake (Merluccius paradoxus) from Namibia
• residue level above MRL for albendazole (245 µg/kg – ppb) in corned beef from Brazil
• FEED: Salmonella spp. (presence /25g) in fish meal from Mauritania
• Salmonella spp. (presence /25g) in frozen meat preparations from Brazil and Thailand
• Salmonella spp. (presence /25g) in frozen poultry meat preparation from Brazil
• Salmonella spp. (presence /25g) in frozen salted chicken breast from Thailand
• Salmonella spp. (presence /25g) in sesame seeds from India
• sweetener E 950 – acesulfame k unauthorised in fruit juice from Georgia
• too high content of sulphite (2569 mg/kg – ppm) in dried apricots from Turkey
• triazophos (0.04 mg/kg – ppm) in basmati rice from India
• unauthorised genetically modified (CRY1Ab/Ac; T-nos) rice spaghetti and rice vermicelli from China
• unauthorised substance carbendazim (0.24 mg/kg – ppm) in rice from India
• unauthorised substance permethrin (0.13 mg/kg – ppm) in dragon fruit (Pitaya) from Vietnam