Food News

Current postings on the European Rapid Alert System (RASFF) for fruit & vegetables

RASFF

Here you find a retrospective monthly summary of relevant notifications about MRLs exceeded reported in the European Rapid Alert System (RASFF).

  

Notification from RASFF 06/01 – 06/30/2023

 

Via this link you can download a table from the European Rapid alert system (RASFF) with important notifications from product category fruit & vegetables.

 

If one takes a closer look at today's table, one can get the impression that Turkish (and Egyptian) producers hardly care about compliance with EU MRLs and continue to blithely use active substances whose use has been banned in the EU due to their problematic properties.
If we continue to assume that the import controls only apply to a fraction of the traded goods, we must assume that there are considerable quantities of contaminated fruit and vegetables from these countries of origin on our markets.

 

Our tip: Be careful with imports from Turkey and Egypt. Especially with peppers and lemons, you should have yourself regular tests carried out by the AGROLAB laboratories.

RASFF fruit & vegetables (JUNE 2023)

Product Active substance Reported value (MRL) Country
[mg/kg; ppm]
Bananas Chlorpyrifos +) 0,048  (0,01) Ecuador
Beans, green Chlorpyrifos +) 0,065 (0,01) Madagascar
Beans, black-eyed Chlorpyrifos +) 0,021 (0,01) unknown
Chlorpyrifos +) 0,0064 (0,032) Madagascar
Pyrimiphos-methyl n/a
Carbaryl n/a Madagascar
Chlorpyrifos +) 0,022 (0,01)
Cypermethrin 0,32 (!)(0,01)
Chili peppers Chlorfenapyr +) 0,17 (!) (0,01) Cambodia
Chlorpyrifos +) 0,011  (0,01)
Ethion 0,056 (0,01)
Isoprothiolan 0,21 (!) (0,01)
Drumsticks Monocrotophos +) 0,17 (!) (0,01) India
Imidacloprid 0,015 (0,01)
Durian Acetamiprid 0,64 (!) (0,01) Vietnam
Carbendazim 0,42 (0,1)
Profenofos  +) 0,27 (!) (0,01)
Carbendazim 0,80 (0,1) Vietnam
Metalaxyl 0,26 (!) (0,01)
Permethrin +) 0,58 (!) (0,05)
Procymidone 1,1 (!!!) 0,01
Profenofos  +) 0,16 (!) (0,01)
Grapefruit Benzalkonium chloride (BAC) +) 0,68 (0,1) Turkey
Lemons Benzalkonium chloride (BAC) +) 0,46 (0,1) Turkey
Chlorpyrifos +) 0,03 (0,01) Egypt
Chlorpyrifos-methyl +) 0,093 (0,01) Turkey
Chlorpyrifos-methyl +) 0,03 (0,01) Turkey
Fenbutatin oxide +) 0,144 (!) (0,01)
Fenbutatin oxide +) 0,052 (0,01) Turkey
Prochloraz+) 1,820 (!!) (0,03)
Fenbutatin oxid +) 0,130 (!) (0,01) Turkey
Prochloraz+) 0,841 (!) (0,03)
Fenbutatin oxide +) 0,269 (!) (0,01) Turkey
Prochloraz+) 0,797 (!) (0,03)
Fenbutatin oxide +) 0,025 (0,01) Turkey
Propiconazol +) 1,384 (!!!) (0,01)
Prochloraz+) 2,270 (!!) (0,03)
Chlorpyrifos-methyl +) 0,029 (0,01) Turkey
Fenbutatin oxide +) 1,437 (!!!) (0,01)
Prochloraz+) 5,043 (!!!)  (0,03)
Propiconazol +) 0,045 (0,01)
Prochloraz+) 0,988 (!)  (0,03) Turkey
Propiconazol +) 0,023 (0,01)
Prochloraz+) 1,348 (!) (0,03) Turkey
Prochloraz+) 3,997 (!!!) (0,03) Turkey
Lemons (Lamas) Chlorpyrifos-methyl +) 0,049 (0,01) Turkey
Prochloraz+) 1,655 (!!)  (0,03) Turkey
Propiconazol +) 2,767 (!!!) (0,01)
Prochloraz+) 2,9 (!!) (0,03) Turkey
Mango Chlorpyrifos +) 0,026 (0,01) Bangladesh
Chlorpyrifos +) 0,028 (0,01) India
Oranges Chlorpyrifos +) 0,016 (0,01) Egypt
Chlorpropham +) 0,067 (0,01) Egypt
Chlorpropham +) 0,024 (0,01) Egypt
Imazalil 4,6 (4)
Dimethoate +) 0,027 (0,01) Egypt
Pepper, fresh (bianca) Acetamiprid 0,803 (0,3)  Turkey
Pepper, fresh                Acetamiprid 0,701 (0,3) Turkey
Acetamiprid 1,014 (0,3) Turkey
Acetamiprid 0,879 (0,3) Turkey
Acetamiprid 0,756  (0,3) Turkey
Acetamiprid 1,453 (0,3) Turkey
Acetamiprid 0,662 (0,3) Turkey
Pirimicarb-methyl 0,025 (0,01)
Chlorpyrifos methyl +) 0,263 (!) (0,01)  Turkey
Cyflumetofen 0,023 (0,01) Egypt
lambda-Cyhalothrin 0,23 (0,1) Uganda
Formetanate 0,368 (!) (0,01) Turkey
Methiocarb +) 0,247 (0,03) Turkey
Methiocarb +) 0,081 (0,03) Turkey
Sulfoxaflor 0,829 (0,4)
Fosthiazate 0,363 (!) (0,02) Turkey
Tebufenpyrad 0,043 (0,01)
Pitahaya Acetamiprid 0,03 (0,01) Vietnam
Chlorthalonil 0,16 (!) (0,01)
Raspberries, crushed, frozen Spirodiclofen n/a Poland
Table grapes Methomyl +) 0,19 (!) (0,01) Peru
Tomatoes Chlorpyrifos-methyl +) 0,23 (!) (0,01) Turkey
Pyrimiphos.methyl  0,84 (!!) (0,01)
Turnip rooted celeries Chlorpyrifos +) 0,02 (0,01) Belgium
Vine leaves (frozen) Acetamiprid 0,2 (!) (0,01) Egypt
Boscalid 0,14 (!) (0,01)
Carbendazim +) 0,32 (!) (0,01)
Zucchini 4-CPA +) 0,03 (0,01) Turkey

+) application is prohibited

 MRL exceeded: (!) ≥10 times, (!!) ≥50 times, (!!!) ≥ 100 times

 

Further notifications:

 

Product Reasons for complaint/rejection Country
Asparagus Copper 12,943 mg/kg (5 mg/kg)  and lead 0,383 mg/kg (0,1 mg/kg) Spain
Avovado Cadmium 0,1 mg/kg (0,05 mg/kg) Peru
Papaya, fresh green genetically modified (unauthorized) Thailand
Spinach plastic pieces France

All information without liability.

 
YOUR PLUS: The RASFF alerts serve as another indicator to reconsider risk decisions and adjust sampling plans.
 

Author: Dr. Frank Mörsberger