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 client.

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

 

February 2025

 

Chemical Hazards: Product Origin
Biogene amines Histamine 434,9 mg/kg (200 mg/kg) in sardines Morocco
Cyanide Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) 270 mg/kg (150 mg/kg) in golden flax seeds  France
Dyes +) Sudan red IV 1.400 (!) µg/kg & Sudan red B 2.000 (!) µg/kg in palm oil  Ivory Coast
Sudan red IV 1.400 (!) µg/kg in palm oil  Ivory Coast
Heavy and toxic metals Cadmium 31 (!) mg/kg (1,0 mg/kg) in horse meat (kidney) Belgium, slaughtered in Netherlands
Cadmium 1,2 mg/kg (0,15 mg/kg) in dried mushrooms China
Lead 0,218 mg/kg (0,1 mg/kg) in canned pineapples Vietnam, notified by Netherlands
Mercury 2,3mg/kg (1,0 mg/kg) in blue shark Portugal  
Mercury 1,9; 1,9 mg/kg (1 mg/kg) in swordfish (2) Portugal (1); Spain (1)
Mineral oil components (MOSH, MOAH) Mineral oil 2,8 mg/kg (1 mg/kg), PAH 43,1 µg/kg (30 µg/kg) & Ochratoxin A 10 µg/kg) (3 µg/kg) mg/kg in premix for muffins with cocoa powder Netherlands
Mycotoxins Aflatoxin B1 9,4; 30; 65 (!) µg/kg (6 µg/kg), Aflatoxins (total) 22,7; 52; 68,9  µg/kg (10 µg/kg) in dried figs (3) Turkey (3)
Aflatoxin B1 8,8; 11,5  µg/kg (6 µg/kg) in dried figs (2) Turkey (2)
Aflatoxin B1 10,4 µg/kg (2 µg/kg), Aflatoxins (total) 11,7 µg/kg (4 µg/kg) in soya protein product Serbia
Aflatoxin B1 4,54 µg/kg (2 µg/kg) in soybean flour Netherlands
Aflatoxin B1 >24 µg/kg (8 µg/kg), Aflatoxins (total) >24 µg/kg (10 µg/kg) in almonds USA, via Spain
Aflatoxin B1 8,8; 10,6 µg/kg (2 µg/kg); Aflatoxins (total) 9,7; 12 µg/kg (4 µg/kg) in peanuts (2) China (2)
Aflatoxin B1 4,35 & 4,5 µg/kg µg/kg (2 µg/kg); Aflatoxins (total) 9,7 µg/kg (4 µg/kg) in peanut paste (2) Netherlands (2)
Aflatoxin B1 11 µg/kg (2 µg/kg), Aflatoxins (total) 12 µg/kg (4 µg/kg) in peanuts Mexico
Aflatoxin B1 5,8 µg/kg (2 µg/kg), Aflatoxins (total) 6,4 µg/kg (4 µg/kg) in groundnuts Uruguay
Aflatoxin B1 22; 23,2; 33,7; 35,4; 76,9 µg/kg (8 µg/kg), Aflatoxins (total) 24; 25,3; 36,3; 36,8; 83 µg/kg (10 µg/kg) in shelled pistachios (5) Turkey (5)
Aflatoxin B1 14 µg/kg (5 µg/kg), Aflatoxins (total) 15 µg/kg (10 µg/kg) in hazelnuts Turkey
Aflatoxin B1 10,4 µg/kg (2 µg/kg), Aflatoxins (total) 10,8 µg/kg (4 µg/kg) in groundnuts USA
Aflatoxin B1 5,8; 9,7; 9,8 µg/kg (2 µg/kg), Aflatoxins (total) 6,4; 11; 12 µg/kg (4 µg/kg) in groundnuts (3) Argentina (3)
Aflatoxin B1 25,7 (!) µg/kg (2 µg/kg) in maize Belgium
Aflatoxin B1 25 µg/kg (6 µg/kg), Aflatoxins (total) 67,2 µg/kg (10 µg/kg) & Ochratoxin A 47,5 µg/kg (8 µg/kg) in dried figs Turkey
Aflatoxin B1 13 µg/kg (8 µg/kg), Aflatoxins (total) 23 µg/kg (10 µg/kg) in pistachios USA
Alternariol (AOH) 103; 157 µg/kg  (30 µg/kg) & Alternariol monomethyl ether (AME) 176; 83,5 µg/kg (30 µg/kg) in black sesame seeds Bolivia
Deoxynivalenol 3.000 µg/kg (750 µg/kg) & Zearalenone 342 µg/kg (75 µg/kg) in rice Italy
Ochratoxin A 34,31 µg/kg (8 µg/kg) in raisins Uzbekistan, notified by Poland
Ochratoxin A 27,2; 39,2; 61,4 µg/kg (8 µg/kg) in dried figs (3) Turkey (3)
PAHs (Polyaromatic hydrocarbons) Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (sum)  120 µg/kg (50 µg/kg) & Benzo(a)pyrene 22 µg/kg (10 µg/kg) in matcha tea China
Pesticides Acetamiprid 0,76 (!) mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg); Cymoxanil 0,055 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg); Difenoconazole 0,26 mg/kg (0,05 mg/kg); Dimetomorph 4,2 (!!!) mg/kg  (0,01 mg/kg); Penconazole 0,046 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg); Proquinazid 0,033 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg); Pyriofenone 0,88 (!!) mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg) & Tebuconazole 0,029 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg) in vine leaves in brine  Turkey
Acetamiprid 0,19 (!) mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg); Azoxystrobin 0,12 (!) mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg); Boscalid 0,046 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg); Cyprodinil 0,58 (!) mg/kg (0,02 mg/kg); Dimetomorph 0,21 (!) mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg); Dithiocarbamates 0,26 mg/kg (0,05 mg/kg); Fenvalerate 0,14 mg/kg (0,02 mg/kg); Flubendiamid 0,033 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg); Fluopyram 0,079 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg) & Iprovalicarb +) 0,063 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg) in vine leaves in brine  Turkey
Azoxystrobin 0,097 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg); Boscalid 0,75 (!!) mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg); Dithiocarbamates 0,33 mg/kg (0,05 mg/kg); Difenoconazole 0,12 mg/kg (0,05 mg/kg); Famoxadone 0,065 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg);  Flutriafol  0,036 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg) & Lambda-Cyhalothrin 0,072 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg) in vine leaves in brine  Turkey
Azoxystrobin 0,028 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg); Bifenthrin 0,13 (!) mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg); Chlorpyrifos +) 0,12 (!) mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg); Cypermethrin 0,24 mg/kg (0,05 mg/kg); Dithiocarbamates 2,0 (!) mg/kg (0,05 mg/kg); Emamectin 0,063 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg); Hexaconazole +) 0,24 (!) mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg);  Lambda-Cyhalothrin 0,062 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg); Penconazole 0,35 (!) mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg) & Tetraconazole 0,13 (!) mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg) in vine leaves in brine  Armenia
Carbendazim +) 1,6 (!) mg/kg (0,1 mg/kg); Cypermethrin 0,28 mg/kg (0,05 mg/kg); Dimethomorph 0,039 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg); Lambda-Cyhalothrin 0,12 (!) mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg); Myclobutanil 0,066 mg/kg (0,05 mg/kg) & Thiophanate-methyl 2,6 (!) mg/kg (0,1 mg/kg) in vine leaves in brine  United Arab Emirates, via Sweden
Azoxystrobin 0,026 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg); Bifenthrin 0,15 (!) mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg); Chlorpyrifos +) 0,13 (!) mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg); Cypermethrin 0,18 mg/kg (0,05 mg/kg); Dithiocarbamates 1,4 mg/kg (0,05 mg/kg); Emamectin 0,066 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg); Hexaconazole +) 0,23 (!) mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg);  Lambda-Cyhalothrin 0,57 (!!) mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg); Penconazole 0,33 (!) mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg) & Tetraconazole 0,12 (!) mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg) in pickled grape leaves  Syria
Chlorpyrifos +) 0,05 mg/kg in whole cloves (packed in Italy) Indonesia
Chlorpyrifos+) 0,71 (!)  mg/kg (0,02) mg/kg; Fipronil +)  0,035 mg/kg (0,001 mg/kg); Imidacloprid 0,33 (!) mg/kg (0,02 mg/kg) & Thiamethoxam 0,59 (!) mg/kg (0,02 mg/kg) in dried ginger China  
Acetamiprid 2,4 mg/kg (0,65 mg/kg) in raisins Turkey
Chlorpyriphos +) 0,101 (!) mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg) & Thiamethoxam 0,019 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg) in Basmati rice India
Chlorpyriphos +) 0,044 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg) & Pyridabene 0,046 mg/kg (0,02 mg/kg) in lemongrass Thailand
PFAS PFOS  (perfluorooctane sulphonat) 6,13 µg/kg (2 µg/kg) in carp Spain
Pyrrolizidine alkaloids, Tropanalkaloids etc. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids  5.471 (!) µg/kg (400 µg/kg) in ground cumin Turkey
THC Food poisoning due to delta-9 THC in gummies USA
Veterinary drug residues Nitrofuran (metabolite 3-amino-2-oxazolidinone) furazolidone (AOZ) 1,5 µg/kg  in frozen shrimp skewers  Vietnam 
Sulfonamides +) (Sulfacetamide 6,4 µg/kg; Sulfmethazine 12,2 µg/kg; Sulfothiazole 13,3 µg/kg) in Linden nectar honey  Poland

+) application is prohibited

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

 

Microbiological Hazards Product Origin
Bacillus cereus in Tempeh Denmark
in ground melon seeds (not authorised novel food) & Salmonella Ghana, widely distributed
E.coli in mussels (harvested in Ireland) Italy
in mussels (from Sapin) Italy
EHEC, VTEC, STEC STEC in roe deer cuts UK
Listeria monocytogenes in cheese (2) France (2)
in organic cheese Belgium
in Alaska pollak loins (from Russia) Germany
in graved salmon Denmark
Salmonella in maltitol dark chocolate Spain
in macadamia nuts Kenya
in mussels (farmed in Spain) Italy
in sprout mix Netherlands
in sesame seeds (6) Nigeria (3), Turkey (3)
Staphylococcus aureus in cheese France

 

Other Hazards   Origin
Packaging may bulge in Kimchi  Netherlands
Glass pieces in dumpling Belgium
Undeclared allergen (celery) in baby food  Spain
Undeclared allergen (gluten) in spice mix Turkey
Undeclared allergen (gluten) in gluten-free kebab meats Germany
Undeclared allergen (milk) in rice waffle with chocolate Taiwan, widely distributed
Undeclared allergenes (milk, fish and barley) in pasta salad  Netherlands
Undeclared allergen (milk) in spice mix Netherlands
Undeclared/mislabeled allergen (peanut, sesame) in poppy seed paste  Turkey
Undeclared allergen (peanut) on additional label on marinated olives  Iran
Undeclared allergen (sesame) in Dubai chocolate (3) Turkey (3)
Undeclared allergen sulphur dioxide in apricot paste Lebanon
Unlabelled sulphite in raisins Iran, notified by Germany
Unlabelled sulphur dioxide and exceed maximum level of sulphur dioxide 879 mg/kg (!!) (10 mg/kg) in dried apricots  Afghanistan

 

Author: Dr. Frank Mörsberger, AGROLAB GROUP