Food recalls in EU – Week 44/2015

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:

• Allergens: undeclared almond in smoked organic tofu from Austria, following company’s own check. Notified by Germany;
• Heavy metals: mercury (1.99 mg/kg – ppm) in frozen tuna (Thunnus obesus) from Italy, following an official control on the market. Notified by Malta;
• Industrial contaminants: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (3.0; sum: 17.0 µg/kg – ppb) in organic cold pressed hemp seed oil from the United Kingdom, produced in Serbia, following an official control on the market. Notified by Slovenia, distributed also to Croatia;
• Mycotoxins: aflatoxins (B1 = 76 µg/kg – ppb) in roasted salted pistachios from Iran, packaged in Italy, following an official control on the market. Notified by Slovenia;
• Mycotoxins: deoxynivalenol (DON) (2.55 mg/kg – ppm) in white corn meal from Portugal, following a border control. Notified by Switzerland, distributed also to France, Germany and United Kingdom;
• Pathogenic micro-organisms: Listeria monocytogenes (9000 CFU/g) in raw milk cheese from France, following company’s own check. Notified by France, distributed also to Spain.

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

• Non pathogenic micro-organisms: jelly candy from China infested with moulds, following a consumer complaint. Notified by Sweden, distributed also to Denmark and Norway;
• Pathogenic micro-organisms: Campylobacter jejuni (200; 2800; 100; 3000; 800; <100; 400; 1900; 200; 3900; <100; 500 CFU/g) in whole chilled chickens from France, following an official control on the market. Notified by Denmark.

3. Alerts followed by a withdrawal from the market:

• Allergens: undeclared gluten in prawn crackers from Indonesia, via the Netherlands, following company’s own check. Notified by Ireland, distributed also to United Kingdom;
• Biocontaminants: histamine (1588; >1920; 302; 1918; 1459 mg/kg – ppm) in frozen skinless yellowfin tuna loins (Thunnus albacares) from Spain, following a food poisoning. Notified by Italy;
• Heavy metals: mercury (2.71 mg/kg – ppm) in chilled swordfish (Xiphias gladius) from Spain, following an official control on the market. Notified from Italy;
• Heavy metals: mercury (1.7 mg/kg – ppm) in chilled swordfish (Xiphias gladius) from Spain, following an official control on the market. Notified from Italy;
• Heavy metals: tin (310 mg/kg – ppm) in canned pineapple from Indonesia, following a border control. Notified by Latvia, distributed also to Estonia and Lithuania.

4. Seizures:

None.

5. Border rejections:

• absence of health mark on frozen Alaska pollack (Theragra chalcogramma) from China
• acetamiprid (0.768 meq/kg) in fresh sweet peppers from Turkey
• aflatoxins (B1 = 13.1; Tot. = 14.1 µg/kg – ppb) in in-shell pistachios from Iran
• aflatoxins (B1 = 19.5; Tot. = 31.7 µg/kg – ppb) in dried figs, organic dried figs (B1 = 9.8; Tot. = 42.5 µg/kg – ppb) and hazelnut kernels (B1 = 5.45; Tot. = 25.72 µg/kg – ppb) from Turkey
• aflatoxins (B1 = 30.7; Tot. = 34.1 µg/kg – ppb) in pistachios in shell and pistachio nuts (B1 = 44.9; Tot. = 50 µg/kg – ppb) from the United States
• aflatoxins (B1 = 4.3 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnuts in shell and groundnut kernels (B1 = 88; Tot. = 105 µg/kg – ppb) from China
• aflatoxins (B1 = 5; Tot. = 20.2 / B1 = 14.1; Tot. = 43.1 µg/kg – ppb) in hazelnut kernels from Georgia
• FCM (Food Contact Materials): migration of chromium (0.19 mg/kg – ppm) and of nickel (0.2 mg/kg – ppm) from steel kitchen items, of formaldehyde (307.2; 387.6; mg/kg – ppm) from melamine cutting board and of manganese (1.0 mg/kg – ppm) from hand blender from China
• FEED: Salmonella Agona (presence), Salmonella Rissen (presence) and Salmonella Tennessee (presence) in processed animal protein from Mexico
• FEED: Salmonella group C (presence /25g) in steamdried fishmeal (Engraulis encrasicolus) from South Africa
• fraudulent Common Entry Document (CED) for roasted diced hazelnut kernels from Turkey
• fraudulent health certificate(s) for cooked salted duck eggs, marinated eggs and preserved duck eggs from China
• insufficient labelling (country of origin is missing) of frozen Alaska pollack (Theragra chalcogramma) from China
• ochratoxin A (32,55 +/- 9,44 µg/kg – ppb) in chili powder from India
• robusta coffe from Cameroon infested with moulds (21,7 %)
• spoilage (bad smell) and poor hygienic state of frozen octopus (Octopus vulgaris) from Mauritania
• too high content of sulphite (2192 mg/kg – ppm) in dried apricots from Turkey and (3008 mg/kg – ppm) in raisins from Chile
• unauthorised genetically modified (CRYI) rice stick from China
• unauthorised novel food ingredient Hovenia dulcis in mixed fruits drink from South Korea
• unauthorised substance trichlorfon (3.9 mg/kg – ppm) in white beans from Nigeria.