Food News

Alert notices from RASFF concerning food (except for fruit & vegetable see special section)

Alarm

In this section we repeated alert notices from the RASFF system of the European commission issued in the previous month, which we thought to be noteworthy and of interest to our clients.

 

We will refrain from repeating the numerous reports on all mycotoxin and salmonella limit violations, but show only a selection to pinpoint the risks. However, we like to put your attention to the fact that in numerous cases missing allergen information was categorized as serious and caused border rejections too.

You can analyse the RASFF-site conveniently by yourself using several filter options and limit the notification to those which are of direct interest to your business Link: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/screen/search

 

Chemical Hazards: Product Origin
3-MCPD-& Glycidyl esters 3-MCPD 4.900 µg/kg & 3.700 µg/kg (2500 µg/kg) & glycidyl esters 3.900 µg/kg & 2.800 µg/kg (1.000 µg/kg) in vegetable ghee (2) Turkey (2)
Glycidyl fatty acid esters 1.600 µg/kg (1.000 µg//kg) in sunflower oil Germany
Biotoxins Grayanotoxins 952,5 mg/kg (!) in honey  Singapore, notified by Germany
Ethylene oxide (EO) /
2-chlorethanol (2-CE)+)		 EO 77,8 mg/kg (!!!) (0,02 mg/kg) in meat masala India
Heavy and toxic metals Cadmium 0,76 mg/kg (0,5 mg/kg) in sunflower seeds Romania
Cadmium 1,1 mg/kg (0,6 mg/kg) in cacao powder Peru
Mercury 1,6 mg/kg (1 mg/kg) in frozen mako Spain
Mercury 1,6 mg/kg (1 mg/kg) in tuna Ecuador, notified by France
Mercury 2,2 mg/kg (1 mg/kg) in bluefin tuna Spain
Mercury 1,6 & 1,47 mg/kg (1 mg/kg) in tuna loins (2) Spain (2)
Mercury >1,5 mg/kg (1 mg/kg) in frozen sword fish Spain
Hydrocyanic acid and cyanides 320 mg/kg (!!) in organic brown flaxseed India
320 mg/kg (!!) in flaxseed Poland
13 mg/kg in organic wheat flour France
340 mg/kg (!!)  in organic brown flaxseed Kazakhstan
Iodine 30 mg/kg in seasoned seaweed South Korea
Mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOSH/MOAH) MOAH 3,2 mg/kg (1 mg/kg) in puffed corn sweets with chocolate frosting Finland
MOAH 3,8 mg/kg (1 mg/kg) in cake for children Romania, widely spread
MOAH 2 mg/kg  in vanilla powder Madagascar, via France
MOAH 7,7 mg/kg (!) (0,5 mg/kg)  and 9 active pesticide residues partly above 10 fold MRL in dried Sichuan pepper China, via Netherlands
MOAH 6,7 mg/kg (!) (0,5 mg/kg) in Vanilla bean  Papua New Guinea, via Netherlands
MOSH >200 mg/kg and MOAH 8,2 mg/kg (!) in olive pomace oil Spain, notified by Poland
Morphine alkaloids 32,2 mg/kg (20 mg/kg) in poppy seeds Czech Republic
Mycotoxins Aflatoxin B1 170 (!), 92 (!), 31, 28, 51, 92 (!), 22 & 16,2 µg/kg (6 µg/kg) & Aflatoxins (total) 220 (!), 136 (!), 49, 32, 112 (!), 104 (!), 25 & 46 µg/kg (10 µg/kg) in dried figs (8) Turkey (8)
Aflatoxin B1 19,13 µg/kg (8 µg/kg) & Aflatoxins (total) 22,92 µg/kg (10 µg/kg) in almond flour Spain, notified by Poland
Aflatoxin B1 61 µg/kg (!) (5 µg/kg) & Aflatoxins (total) 69 µg/kg (10 µg/kg) in nutmeg Indonesia, via Netherlands
Ochratoxin A 17 & 11 µg/kg (3 µg/kg) in cocoa powder (2) Netherlands (1), Poland (1)
Ochratoxin A  174 (!) µg/kg (8 µg/kg) in raisins Uzbekistan
Ochratoxin A  23 µg/kg (3 µg/kg) in organic rye flour Lithuania (widely spread)
Polychlorinated biphenyls, non-dioxin-like (PCB) +) ndl-PCB 1,14 ng/kg (0,8 ng/kg) in whole frozen chicken France
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) Benzo(a)pyrene 15 µg/kg (10 µg/kg) & total PAH 123 µg/kg (50 µg(kg) in soup mix China, notified by Netherlands
Total PAH 119,8 µg/kg (50 µg(kg) in dried bay leaves India
Pesticides Chlorpyrifos-methyl+) 0,064 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg) & Pirimiphos-methyl 6,1 mg/kg (!) (0,5 mg/kg) in rye France
Chlorpyrifos+) 0,04 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg) in soya beans Ukraine, notified by France
Chlorpyrifos+) 0,18 mg/kg (!) (0,01 mg/kg) in cumin India, via Netherlands
Chlorpyrifos +) 0,043 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg) in turmeric India, via Netherlands
Chlorpyrifos+) 0,064 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg) in black cumin seeds India
Chlorpyrifos+) 0,017 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg) in rice Pakistan
Benomyl/Carbendazim+) 0,340 mg/kg (0,1 mg/kg), Chlorpyrifos+) 0,041 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg), Propamocarb+) 0,144 mg/kg (0,05 mg/kg) & Propiconazole+) 0,175 mg/kg (0,05 mg/kg) in  sweet chamomille Spain
Carbaryl+) 0,18 mg/kg (0,05 mg/kg), Chlorpyrifos +) 0,018 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg) & Fenitrothion 0,056 (0,01) in black-eyed beans  Madagascar
Chlorpyrifos+) 0,152 mg/kg (!) (0,01 mg/kg), Thiamethoxam 0,03 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg) & Tricylazole+) 0,048 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg) in Basmati rice India
Bifenthrin 0,54 mg/kg  (!!) (0,01 mg/kg), Ethion 0,9 mg/kg (!!) (0,01 mg/kg), Imidacloprid 1,7 mg/kg (!) (0,05 mg/kg), Profenofos+) 0,11 mg/kg (0,03 mg/kg) & Thiamethoxam 1,7 mg/kg (!!) (0,02 mg/kg) in Kariveppilai powder India, notified by France
Anthraquinone 0,061 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg) in green tea Vietnam, notified by France
Anthraquinone 0,2 (!) mg/kg (0,02 mg/kg) & ortho-phenylphenol 0,11 mg/kg (0,05 mg/kg)  in dried Tsaoko  China, notified by Netherlands widely distributed
Buprofezin 5,6 mg/kg (!!!) (0,02 mg/kg), Chlorfenapyr+) 0,054 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg), Fenobucarb 1,4 mg/kg (!!!) (0,01 mg/kg) & Imidacloprid 8,6 mg/kg (!!!) (0,05 mg/kg) in coriander Thailand
Chlorpyrifos+) 0,022 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg)  in extra vergine olive oil (2) Tunisia (1), Egypt (1)
Carbendazim+) 1,91 mg/kg (0,5 mg/kg) & Chlorpyrifos+) 0,016 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg) in raisins India
Isoprocarb+) 0,041 mg/kg in pumpkin seeds China
Tolfenpyrad 0,11 mg/kg (!) (0,01 mg/kg) in green tea China
Acetamiprid 0,046 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg) in rice Pakistan
Pyrrolizidine alkaloids 2.800 µg/kg (400 µg/kg) in herbs France
347 µg/kg (150 µg/kg) in black tea India
34.149 µg/kg (!!) (400 µg/kg) in cumin seeds Turkey
3.248,5 µg/kg (400 µg/kg) in cumin powder Turkey
7.861 µg/kg (1.000 µg/kg) in dried oregano Turkey
3.000 µg/kg (500 µg/kg)  in pollen France
Sudan dyes and other forbidden colorants +) Unauthorised food additives Sudan I and Sudan IV and/or Sudan Red B in Cheddar cheese powder Syria, notified by Germany
Sunset Yellow FCF (E110),  tartrazine (E 102) ,sodium erythorbate+) ( E 316) and sweetener acesulfame K+) (E 950) in pineapple jam Taiwan, notified by Poland
Sudan I & Sudan IV in palm oil  Ivory coast
Erythrosin (E127)  in popcorn fruit mix Ukraine, notified by Poland
10 µg/kg Leucomalachite green in black tiger shrimps  India
Leucomalachite green & Leucocrystal violet in shrimps  Vietnam
1,26 µg/kg Leucomalachite green in frozen pangasius fillet  Vietnam, notified by Germay
Tropane alkaloids 1.416 (!!!) & 42 µg/kg (5 µg/kg) in teff (2) Spain (2)
Veterinary drug residues >0,5 µg/kg Nitrofuran (metabolite) furazolidone +) (AOZ) in shrimps  India
187 mg/kg (100 mg/kg) Ivermectine+) in beef Netherlands

+) application is prohibited

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

 

Microbiological Hazards Product Origin
Listeria monocytogenes in cream cod sandwich with raw material from Norway Italy
in smoked salmon Denmark
in fuet (sausage) Spain
in salmon France
in pasteurized goat's milk  Netherlands
in raw milk goat cheese France
in follow-on formula (baby food) Netherlands
in gorgonzola Italy
in cheese (3) Germany (2), Italy (1)
Norovirus Norovirus and Hepatitis A Virus in frozen forest fruits  Italy
 in oysters (6) Netherlands (5), France (1)
Salmonella in ginger powder  India
in laurel leaves powder Turkey, via Poland
in seaweed salad Taiwan, via Germny
in powdered eggs Ukraine , notified by Poland
in raisins Turkey
in walnut kernels (from USA) Netherlands
in concentrated raw goat's milk Netherlands
in sesame paste Turkey, via Netherlands
in sesame seeds (2) Nigeria (1), Turkey (1)
Vbrio spp Vibrio vulnificus in frozen aquaculture shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei)  Ecuador

 

Other Hazards Origin
Allergen: Undeclared sulphur dioxide in dried grapes / sultanas Turkey
Allergen: Undeclared gluten in sage powder Italy
Allergen: Undeclared allergens nuts and soy in frozen croissants Belgium
Allergen: Crustaceans undeclared on instant noodles China, notified by Italy
Allergen: Lactose and beta lactoglobulins not declared on the label in instant noodles China, notified by Italy
Allergen: Soy and celery not declared in fish Netherlands
Genetically modified rice in rice noodles Vietnam, notified by Germany
Unauthorised novel food (Zeolite-clinoptilolite) in food supplement Germany
Presence of swine, bovine and chicken DNA in noodles China, notified by Italy

Author: Dr. Frank Mörsberger