Food recalls in EU – Week 31/2015

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:

– Foreign bodies: plastic fragments (1×1 cm) in chilled soups from Ireland, following a consumer complaint. Notified by Ireland, distributed also to United Kingdom;

– FCM (Food Contact Materials). Heavy metals: migration of nickel (1.43 mg/kg – ppm) from barbecue cutlery from China, following an official control on the market. Notified by Germany, distributed also to Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland;

– FCM (Food Contact Materials). Industrial contaminants: migration of formaldehyde (16.2 mg/kg – ppm) and of melamine (3.7 mg/kg – ppm) from children decorated melamine plates from China, following an official control on the market. Notified from France, distributed also to Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Spain and Taiwan;

– Pathogenic micro-organisms: enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (VTEC O26 vt1) in raw cow’s milk cheese from Ireland, following a consumer complaint. Notified by Ireland, distributed also to United Kingdom;

– Pathogenic micro-organisms: Listeria monocytogenes (16000 CFU/g) in gorgonzola from Italy, following an official control on the market. Notified by Austria, distributed also to France and Germany;

– Pathogenic micro-organisms: Listeria monocytogenes (260 CFU/g) in dry ham from France, following company’s own check. Notified from France, distributed also to Belgium;

– Pathogenic micro-organisms: Listeria monocytogenes (< 10 CFU/g) in jambon from Spain, following company’s own check. Notified by France.

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

– FCM (Food Contact Materials): migration of cadmium (31.46 mg/item) and of lead (352.46 mg/item) from drinking glasses from China, via the United Arab Emirates. Notified by Cyprus;

– Pathogenic micro-organisms: Listeria monocytogenes (>15000 CFU/g) in andouille sausages from France, following company’s own check. Notified by France, distributed also to Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Netherlands, South Africa and United Kingdom.

3. Alerts followed by a withdrawal from the market:

– FCM (Food Contact Materials). Industrial contaminants: migration of melamine (4.4 mg/kg – ppm) from children decorated melamine plates from China, via the Netherlands, following an official control on the market. Notified by Belgium;

– Mycotoxins: aflatoxins (B1 = 126 µg/kg – ppb) in almonds from the Netherlands, following an official control on the market. Notified by Belgium;

– Pathogenic micro-organisms: Salmonella typhimurium (presence/25g) in frozen chicken leg quarters from the Netherlands, following an official control on the market. Notified by Malta, distributed also to Belgium, Benin, Congo (Brazzaville), Czech Republic, Gabon, Germany, Mauritania, Montenegro, Morocco, Togo and United Kingdom;

4. Seizures:

None.

5. Border rejections:

• acephate (0.022 mg/kg – ppm) in basmati rice from India
• acetamiprid (0.16 mg/kg – ppm), thiamethoxam (0.12 mg/kg – ppm) and imidacloprid (0.16 mg/kg – ppm) and unauthorised substances profenofos (0.16 mg/kg – ppm) and carbendazim (0.30 mg/kg – ppm) in cumin seeds from India
• acetamiprid (0.81 mg/kg – ppm) in habanero hot peppers from the Dominican Republic
• aflatoxins (B1 = 7.2 µg/kg – ppb) in blanched groundnut kernels from China
• cypermethrin (1.5 mg/kg – ppm), quinalphos (1.1 mg/kg – ppm), lambda-cyhalothrin (0.98 mg/kg – ppm), imidacloprid (0.22 mg/kg – ppm) and fipronil (0.086 mg/kg – ppm) and unauthorised substance carbendazim (0.97 mg/kg – ppm) in green cardamon from India
• fipronil (0.013 mg/kg – ppm) in chilli peppers from the Dominican Republic
• methamidophos (0.3 mg/kg – ppm) in green beans from Kenya
• FCM (Food Contact Materials) migration of chromium (4.4-17.2 mg/kg – ppm) and too high level of overall migration (37-144 mg/dm²) from knives set with cutting board from China
• FCM (Food Contact Materials) migration of chromium (up to 0.8 mg/kg – ppm) from stainless steel basket for vegetable steam-cooking from China
• poor temperature control (between -8.4 and -11.1 °C) of frozen tuna loins (Thunnus albacares) from Cape Verde
• prohibited substance nitrofuran (metabolite) furazolidone (AOZ) (2.8 µg/kg – ppb) in frozen tiger prawns (Penaeus monodon) from India
• Salmonella Kristianstad (presence /25g) and Salmonella Montevideo (presence /25g) in hulled sesame seeds from India
• Salmonella spp. (in 1 out of 5 samples /25g) in auto dried hulled sesame seeds and hulled sesame seeds from India
• unauthorised substance anthraquinone (0.41 mg/kg – ppm) in black cardamon from India
• unauthorised substance carbendazim (0.45 mg/kg – ppm) in fresh beans with pods from Kenya
• unauthorised substance chlorfenapyr (0.02 mg/kg – ppm) in papayas from Brazil
• unauthorised substance ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) in sparkling citrus drink from the Philippines
• unauthorised substance profenofos (0.091 mg/kg – ppm) in pitted olives in brine from Egypt