Food recalls in EU – Week 48/2015

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: traces of lactoprotein (39.9 mg/kg – ppm) in biscuits from Germany, following an official control on the market. Notified by Slovenia, distributed also to Hungary, Switzerland;
• Allergens: traces of lactoprotein (3.4 mg/kg – ppm) in biscuits from Italy, following an official control on the market. Notified by Slovenia;
• Allergens: traces of milk (2600 mg/kg – ppm) in strawberry dark chocolate from the Netherlands, following an official control on the market. Notified by Sweden;
• Industrial contaminants: benzo(a)pyrene (9.3 µg/kg – ppb) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH4 sum: 74 µg/kg – ppb) in food supplement from Poland, following an official control on the market. Notified by Finland.

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

• Radiation: unauthorised irradiation (0.55 kGy) of food supplement from Poland, following an official control on the market. Notified by Finland.

3. Alerts followed by a withdrawal from the market:

• Allergens: undeclared egg in frozen breaded Alaska pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) fillets from the Netherlands, following an official control on the market. Notified by Italy;
• Biocontaminants: atropine (1200; 1500 µg/kg – ppb) and scopolamine (360; 460 µg/kg – ppb) in sorghum flour with raw material from the Czech Republic and Slovakia, following an official control on the market. Notified by Czech Republic, distributed also to Germany, Poland;
• Biocontaminants: histamine (1257.8 mg/kg – ppm) in anchovy fillets with capers in olive oil from Portugal, following an official control on the market. Notified by Austria, distributed also to Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland;
• Food additives and flavourings: undeclared sulphite (101 mg/kg – ppm) in frozen red shrimps from Italy, following an official control on the market. Notified by Italy, distributed also to France, Monaco, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom;
• Foreign bodies: metal wire fragments (2 cm metal wire) in organic fruit and nut bar from the Netherlands, following a consumer complaint. Notified by Germany, distributed also to Austria, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Switzerland;
• Heavy metals: mercury (1.661 mg/kg – ppm) in frozen smooth-hound shark (Mustelus mustelus) from Portugal, following an official control on the market. Notified by Italy;
• Mycotoxins: aflatoxins (B1 = 185 µg/kg – ppb) in amaretto grains from Italy, following a company’s own check. Notified by Italy, distributed also to Germany;
• Pathogenic micro-organisms: Listeria monocytogenes (presence /25g) and Salmonella (presence /25g) in chilled minced meat (to be eaten raw) from Belgium, following a company’s own check. Notified by Belgium, distributed also to France;
• Pathogenic micro-organisms: Shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli (stx 1/2 +O8 /25g) in frozen kangaroo steaks from Australia, via Belgium, following an official control on the market. Notified by Netherlands, distributed also to Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, United Kingdom.

4. Seizures:

None.

5. Border rejections:

• acetamiprid (0.081 mg/kg – ppm) in pomegranates from Turkey
• aflatoxins (B1 = 125; Tot. = 147 / B1 = 47; Tot. = 53 µg/kg – ppb) in pistachios in shell from Iran
• aflatoxins (B1 = 15.6; Tot. = 17.4 µg/kg – ppb) in pistachios from the United States
• aflatoxins (B1 = 17.4; Tot. = 18.4 µg/kg – ppb) in chilli powder from Bangladesh
• aflatoxins (B1 = 27.8; Tot. = 29.39 µg/kg – ppb) in organic hazelnuts, dried figs, (B1 = 32; Tot. = 36 / B1 = 99.1; Tot. = 162.3 / B1 = 16.3; Tot. = 17.29 µg/kg – ppb) in shelled hazelnuts (B1 = 64.95; Tot. = 75.06 µg/kg – ppb) and in crushed roasted hazelnuts (B1 = 7.4; Tot. = 22 / B1 = 9.6; Tot. = 22 µg/kg – ppb) from Turkey
• aflatoxins (B1 = 7.8; Tot. = 8.8 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnuts from Argentina
• aflatoxins (B1 = 9.0 µg/kg – ppb) in crushed chillies from India
• copper (115 mg/kg – ppm) in vine leaves in brine from Turkey
• FEED: aflatoxins (B1 = 60.3 µg/kg – ppb) in peanuts for bird feeding from Brazil
• fenpropathrin (0.017 mg/kg – ppm) and imidacloprid (0.021 mg/kg – ppm) and unauthorised substance tolfenpyrad (0.11 mg/kg – ppm) in green tea from Turkey
• fraudulent health certificate(s) for frozen barramundi fillets (Lates spp) from China
• improper health certificate(s) for shrimps (Penaeus duorarum) from Côte d’Ivoire with improper packaging (too porous)
• ivermectin (4.0 µg/kg – ppb) unauthorised in frozen barramundi (Lates spp) from Vietnam
• mercury (0.78 mg/kg – ppm) in chilled John Dory (Zeus faber) from Tunisia
• poor temperature control of frozen Argentine red shrimp (Pleoticus muelleri) from Argentina, frozen crabs (Cardisoma spp) and frozen raw lobsters (Panulirus argus) from Honduras, frozen fillets of mackerel (Scomber spp) and dolphinfish (Coryphaena) from China
• propargite (0.204 mg/kg – ppm) in dried tomatoes from Tunisia
• Salmonella (1 out of 5 samples /25g) in betel leaves from India
• Salmonella (presence /25g) in hulled sesame seeds from India
• shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli (in 1 out of 5 samples /25g) in chilled beef from Brazil
• stones (1.2 %) in white pepper husk from Vietnam
• too high content of colour E 102 – tartrazine (0.65 %) and unauthorised use of colour E 110 – Sunset Yellow FCF (47.5 mg/kg – ppm) in frozen sweet corn pastry from Colombia
• too high content of sulphite (2143 mg/kg – ppm) in dried apricots from Turkey
• unauthorised substance aldrin in chilled peppers from Turkey
• unauthorised substance carbendazim (1.5 mg/kg – ppm) in peas from Kenya
• unauthorised substance profenofos (0.04 mg/kg – ppm) in black olives in brine from Peru