Food recalls in EU – Week 26

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: undeclared gluten in crispy fried onions from the Netherlands, following company’s own check. Notified by United Kingdom, distributed also to Ireland;

– Composition: unauthorised substance yohimbine (0.5 mg/item) in food supplement from the United States, via Hungary, following an official control on the market. Notified by Cyprus;

– FCM (Food Contact Materials). Migration: high content of DEHP – di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (93000; 120000 mg/kg – ppm) in placemat from Denmark, following an official control on the market. Notified by Denmark, distributed also to Faeroe Islands, Germany, Norway, Poland and Sweden;

– Pathogenic micro-organisms: Salmonella spp. (presence/25g) in seasoning with vegetables from Croatia, following an official control on the market. Notified by Austria, distributed also to Germany and Slovakia;

– Residues of veterinary medicinal products: prohibited substance nitrofuran (metabolite) furaltadone (AMOZ) (0.89; 2.0; 1.47 µg/kg – ppb) in chilled rainbow trout from Greece, following an official control on the market. Notified by Greece, distributed also to Romania.

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

– Pathogenic micro-organisms: Salmonella Newport (presence/25g) in turkey breast from Germany, following an official control in a non member country. Notified by Denmark.

3. Alerts followed by a withdrawal from the market/from recipients:

– Composition: high content of morphine (59.13 mg/kg – ppm) in ground poppy seeds packaged in Slovakia, following company’s own check. Notified by Czech Republic;

– Heavy metals: mercury (1.4 mg/kg – ppm) in frozen swordfish from Portugal, following an official control on the market. Notified by Italy;

– Industrial contaminants: dioxins (76.94 pg WHO TEQ/g) in cod liver from Latvia, following an official control on the market. Notified by Germany, distributed also to Italy, Ireland and United Kingdom;

– Pathogenic micro-organisms: Bacillus cereus (>120 000 CFU/g) and Bacillus cereus enterotoxin (2.65 µg/kg – ppb) in preserved red bean curd from China, following am official control on the market. Notified by Netherlands, distributed also to Austria, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Poland and Spain;

– Pesticide residues: ethephon (4.6 mg/kg – ppm) in pineapples from Benin, via France, following an official control on the market. Notified by Belgium.

4. Seizures:

None

5. Border rejections:

• absence of expiry date on frozen squid (Loligo chinensis) from China
• absence of health certificate(s) for groundnuts from India
• aflatoxins (B1 = 32; Tot. = 36 µg/kg – ppb) in pistachios from Iran
• aflatoxins (B1 = 41; Tot. = 52 / B1 = 12; Tot. = 14 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnuts from Argentina
• aflatoxins (B1 = 9.9 µg/kg – ppb) in salted roasted pistachios from Turkey
• attempt to illegally import (hidden under carab beans.) dried fish and shrimps from Ghana
• poor temperature control – rupture of the cold chain – (totally defrosted) of frozen squid (Loligo spp.) from India, and from India via Vietnam
• poor temperature control (+ 7.2; 5.2; 12.8; 10.2; 12.2; 13.2 °C) of chilled tuna (Thunnus albacares) from the Philippines
• Salmonella spp. (presence /25g) in betel leaves from India
• shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli (presence /25g) in frozen boneless beef from Brazil
• spoilage (decomposition) of chilled grouper (Epinephelus guaza) from Egypt and of frozen salted chicken from Thailand
• too high content of E 211 – sodium benzoate (1000 mg/kg – ppm), E 202 – potassium sorbate (1000; 2000; 800 mg/kg – ppm), E 385 – calcium disodium ethylene diamine tetra acetate (CDEDTA), E 321 – butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) (presence) and E 223 – Sodium metabisulphite (presence) unauthorised in preserved vegetables from Mexico
• traces of egg (0.063 mg/kg – ppm) in frozen threadfin bream (Nemipterus spp) from Thailand
• unauthorised substance carbendazim (0.4 mg/kg – ppm) in sweet peppers from Turkey
• unauthorised substance profenofos (0.07 mg/item) in peppers in brine from India