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: scopolamine (6 µg/kg – ppb) in microwave popcorn from Spain, following an official control on the market. Notified by Germany, distributed also to Austria;
- Foreign bodies: metal pieces in gravy granules from the United Kingdom, following company’s own check. Notified by United Kingdom, distributed also to Australia, Cyprus and Ireland;
- Pathogenic micro-organisms: Salmonella enteritidis (presence/25g) in frozen chicken wings from the Czech Republic, following an official control on the market. Notified by Malta, distributed also to Slovakia.
2. Information for attention/for follow up followed by a recall from consumers:
- Pathogenic micro-organisms: Listeria monocytogenes (4900 CFU/g) in raw milk cheese from France, following company’s own check. Notified by France, distributed also to Germany and Italy.
3. Alerts followed by a withdrawal from the market:
- Biocontaminants: histamine (501 mg/kg – ppm) in thawed yellowfin tuna from Spain, following company’s own check. Notified by Italy, distributed also to Croatia, Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia;
- Pathogenic micro-organisms: Listeria monocytogenes (<10 CFU/g) in chilled cooked shrimps from Denmark, following company’s own check. Notified by France;
- Pathogenic micro-organisms: Salmonella Brandenburg (presence/25g) in thyme from Germany, following company’s own check. Notified by Austria;
- Pathogenic micro-organisms: Salmonella Kentucky (presence) in frozen prepared turkey meat from France, with raw material from Italy, following company’s own check. Notified by France, distributed also to Austria and Germany;
- Pathogenic micro-organisms: Listeria monocytogenes (<10 CFU/g) in chilled serrano ham from Spain, following company’s own check. Notified by France.
4. Seizures:
- Heavy metals: mercury (1.1 mg/kg – ppm) in frozen blue shark (Prionace glauca) from Portugal, following an official control on the market. Notified by Italy.
5. Border rejections:
- absence of health certificate(s) and absence of certified analytical report for roasted pistachios from Turkey
- aflatoxins (B1 = 16.94; Tot. = 19.34 / B1 = 15.28; Tot. = 16.75 µg/kg – ppb) in pistachios from Iran
- aflatoxins (B1 = 23.7 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnuts and groundnuts in shell (B1 = 23.7; Tot. = 27.8 µg/kg – ppb) from China
- aflatoxins (B1 = 3.1; Tot. = 4.3 µg/kg – ppb) in roasted peanut kernels from Brazil
- aflatoxins (B1 = 8.2 µg/kg – ppb) in ground red pepper from India
- Bacillus cereus (1.4 x 10*5 CFU/g) in fermented beancurd with chilli from China
- chlorpyrifos (0.93 mg/kg – ppm) in rice from India
- cypermethrin (4.9 mg/kg – ppm) and myclobutanil (0.087 mg/kg – ppm) in fresh mint from Morocco
- fraudulent health certificate(s) for groundnut kernels and groundnuts from China
- poor temperature control (-4.4°C to -18.5°C) of frozen tuna loins (Thunnus albacares) from Vietnam
- poor temperature control and insufficient labelling of frozen pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka and Oncorhynchus keta) from the United States
- Salmonella (presence /25g) in betel leaves from India
- Salmonella (presence /25g) in hulled sesame seeds from India
- too high content of copper (70 mg/kg – ppm) in vine leaves in brine from Turkey
- too high content of sulphite (2087 mg/kg – ppm) in dried apricots from Turkey
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