Food recalls in EU – Week 37/2015

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: pieces of wood in complete meal for infants and young children (Mushroom – Risotto) from Germany, following a consumer complaint. Notified by Germany, distributed also to Austria;
• Pathogenic micro-organisms: Listeria monocytogenes (presence/25g) in chilled sliced smoked ham from Germany, processed in Sweden, following company’s own check. Notified by Sweden.

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

None.

3. Alerts followed by a withdrawal from the market:

• Allergens: undeclared celery in mix grill seasoning from Slovakia, following an official control on the market. Notified by Slovakia, distributed also to United Kingdom;
• Allergens: undeclared mustard and almond in spice mix from Belgium, following company’s own check. Notified by Belgium, distributed also in France;
• FCM (Food Contact Materials): migration of cadmium (1,33; 1,53; 1,63; 1,62 mg/item) and of lead (24,7; 27,1; 29,4; 29,4 mg/item) from glasses from China, via the Netherlands, following an official control on the market. Notified by Germany.

4. Seizures:

None.

5. Border rejections:

• aflatoxins (B1 = 37 µg/kg – ppb) and ochratoxin A (69 µg/kg – ppb) in red chilli powder from India, processed in the United Arab Emirates
• aflatoxins (B1 = 37.9; Tot. = 41 µg/kg – ppb) in pistachios in shell from the United States
• aflatoxins (B1 = 4.9; Tot. = 3.9 / B1 = 34; Tot. = 40 / B1 = 66; Tot. = 83 µg/kg – ppb) in raw peanuts from Bolivia
• aflatoxins (B1 = 7.2 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnuts from China
• attempt to illegally import frozen common sole (Solea spp) and monkfish (Lophius spp) from Senegal
• black pepper grains from Vietnam infested with moulds
• chlorpyrifos (0.66 mg/kg – ppm) in olives in brine from Egypt
• clofentezine (0.057 mg/kg – ppm) in fresh peppers from Turkey
• cypermethrin (0.024 mg/kg – ppm) and dimethoate (0.022 mg/kg – ppm) and unauthorised substances dichlorvos (0.11 mg/kg – ppm) and trichlorfon (0.35 mg/kg – ppm) in dried brown beans from Nigeria
• fraudulent health certificate(s) for shelled groundnuts from China
• lead (0.26 mg/kg – ppm) in tomatoes from Ukraine
• mercury (0.964 mg/kg – ppm) in chilled John Dory (Zeus faber) fillets from Tunisia
• FCM: migration of chromium (3.3 mg/kg – ppm) and of manganese (0.2 mg/kg – ppm) and too high level of overall migration (25 mg/dm²) from butter knife, cleavers and knives table stell from China
• poor temperature control (-7 °C) of frozen common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) and soles (Synaptura cadenati) from Senegal, and of frozen sheep meat preparation (Ovis aries) from Australia
• Salmonella (presence /25g) in betel leaves from India
• Salmonella (presence /25g) in frozen turkey meat preparation from Brazil
• Salmonella Lexington (in 4 out of 5 samples /25g) in rapeseed cake from Belarus
• spoilage of chilled fish (Argyrosomus regius, Dentex dentex, Dicentrarchus labrax, Seriola dumerili) from Egypt
• unauthorised novel food cuitlacoche (canned maize infected with fungus Ustilago maydis) from Mexico
• unauthorised substances tolfenpyrad (0.045 mg/kg – ppm) and anthraquinone (0.051 mg/kg – ppm) in green tea from China
• unauthorised use of colour E 122 – azorubine (64 mg/kg – ppm) in pickled horseradish from Ukraine