Food recalls in EU – Week 23/2015

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:

– Biocontaminants: atropine (198.5 µg/kg – ppb) and scopolamine (45 µg/kg – ppb) in organic polenta cornmeal from Germany, following an official control on the market. Notified by Germany, distributed also to Austria;

– Foreign bodies: glass fragments in white wine in bottle from South Africa, following company’s own check. Notified by Finland, distributed also to Denmark and Sweden;

– Foreign bodies: plastic fragments (size 7-17 by 5-14 mm) in frozen fish cutlets from Germany, following a consumer complaint. Notified by Netherlands;

– Foreign bodies: wire 1.5 cm long in chocolate bar from Germany, following a consumer complaint. Notified by Germany, distributed also to Austria, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain and Switzerland;

– Mycotoxins: ochratoxin A (433.5 µg/kg – ppb) in liquorice root from Turkey, via the United Kingdom, following an official control on the market. Notified by Ireland;

– Pathogenic micro-organisms: Listeria monocytogenes (presence/25g) in raw milk cheeses from France, following an official control on the market. Notified by France, distributed also to Denmark, Netherlands and Spain;

– Pathogenic micro-organisms: norovirus (GI /25g) in frozen raspberries from Serbia, via Belgium, following an official control on the market. Notified by France;

– Pathogenic micro-organisms: shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli (H11, eae+, stx1+) in frozen burgers from Spain, following company’s own check. Notified by France, distributed also to Monaco.

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

None.

3. Alerts followed by a withdrawal from the market:

– Biocontaminants: histamine (1100 mg/kg – ppm) in frozen tuna steak from Vietnam, following company’s own check. Notified by Belgium, distributed also to Estonia, Slovakia, Finland and Sweden;

– Foreign bodies: glass fragments (very small glass particles) in wine from South Africa, following company’s own check. Notified by Netherlands, distributed also to Italy;

– Heavy metals: mercury (0.5 mg/kg – ppm) in five-flavour berry (Schisandra chinensis) from Singapore, via the Netherlands, following an official control on the market. Notified by Sweden, distributed also to Finland, Germany and Italy;

– Mycotoxins: deoxynivalenol (DON) (2198 µg/kg – ppb) in salted popcorn manufactured in the Czech Republic, with raw material from Hungary, following an official control on the market. Notified by Poland, distributed also to Germany;

– Pathogenic micro-organisms: Listeria monocytogenes (3100 CFU/g) in smoked mackerel processed in Romania, with raw material from Spain, following an official control on the market. Notified by Hungary;

– Pathogenic micro-organisms: Listeria monocytogenes (400 CFU/g) in gorgonzola cheese from Italy, following an official control on the market. Notified by Switzerland, distributed also to France;

– Pathogenic micro-organisms: Salmonella spp. (presence/25g) in ginger from the United Kingdom, with raw material from Nigeria, following an official control on the market. Notified by Netherlands;

– Pesticide residues: ethephon (2.9 mg/kg – ppm) in pineapples from Mauritius, following company’s own check. Notified by Netherlands, distributed also to Romania.

4. Seizures:

None.

5. Border rejections:

• aflatoxins (B1 = 16.4; Tot. = 17.4 µg/kg – ppb) in dried whole red chilli peppers from India
• aflatoxins (B1 = 193; Tot. = 225 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnuts from India, processed in Egypt
• aflatoxins (B1 = 96.9; Tot. = 152 µg/kg – ppb) in pistachios in shell and in pistachio kernels (B1 = 20; Tot. = 22 / B1 = 71; Tot. = 80 µg/kg – ppb) from the United States
• biphenyl (1.66 mg/kg – ppm) in lemons from Turkey
• dithiocarbamates (0.15 mg/kg – ppm) in vine leaves from Turkey
• FEED: arsenic (220 mg/kg – ppm) in manganese oxide from India
• FEED: aflatoxins (B1 = 189 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnut kernels for bird feed from the Gambia
• fraudulent health certificate(s) (dated after the arrival to the BIP) for refined hazelnut oil from Turkey
• Salmonella spp. (presence /25g) in frozen shrimps (Penaeus vannamei) from Vietnam
• too high content of sulphite and undeclared sulphite (4958 mg/kg – ppm) in dried apricots from Turkey, via Lebanon
• undeclared milk ingredient, wheat and nuts in and insufficient labelling of sesame seed-based confectionery (barazeq) from Lebanon