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. 

 

Link: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/screen/search

JULY 2025

Chemical Hazards: Product Origin
3-MCPD, 3-MCPD-esters / Glycidylester 3-monochlor-1,2-propanediol (3-MCPD) 4.030 µg/kg (1.250 µg/kg ) & Glycidyl esters 4.290 µg/kg (1.000 µg/kg) in palm oil United Kingdom
3-monochlor-1,2-propanediol (3-MCPD) 3.863 µg/kg (1.250 µg/kg) in palm oil Ecuador
Antibiotics  Chloramphenicol +) 10,02 (!) mg/kg (0,5 mg/kg) in milk powder Ukraine
Salinomycin 9,56 µg/kg (3 µg/kg) in eggs Poland
Biogenic amines Histamine 278 mg/kg (100 mg/kg) in tuna Netherlands
Histamine 5.900 (!) mg/kg (100 mg/kg) in tuna Ecuador
Histamine  up to 546 mg/kg (100 mg/kg) in mackerel Morocco
Histamine  up to 263 mg/kg (100 mg/kg) in sardines Morocco
Dyes +) Unauthorized Sudan Red G 240 µg/kg and Sudan I >2,000 µg/kg (!!) in Pilaf seasoning Uzbekistan
Unauthorised colour rhodamine B 3 µg/kg in curry powder India
Heavy metals Inorganic arsenic 11 mg/kg in organic algae mix China
Cadmium 0,19 mg/kg (0,15 mg/kg) in rice Italy
Cadmium 0,69 mg/kg (0,2 mg/kg) in dried estragon France
Lead 4,4 mg/kg in psyllium husks India
Mercury 0,57 mg/kg (0,1 mg/kg) in food supplements Netherlands
Mercury 0,13 mg/kg & 29 (!!!) mg/kg (0,1 mg/kg) in food supplements (2) India (2), notified by Netherlands
Mercury 1,4 mg/kg (1,0 mg/kg) in frozen blue shark Spain
Mercury 1,73 mg/kg (1,0 mg/kg) in frozen blue shark steak Spain
Mercury 1,7 mg/kg (1,0 mg/kg) in skinless frozen blue shark loins Spain
Mercury 2,1 mg/kg (1,0 mg/kg) in frozen sword fish Portugal
Mercury 1,5 mg/kg (1,0 mg/kg) in sword fish loins Spain
Mercury 2,27 mg/kg (1,0 mg/kg) in sword fish Spain
Mercury 1,5mg/kg (0,88 mg/kg) in thawed vacuum-packed swordfish Spain
Mercury 2,3 mg/kg (1,0 mg/kg) in tuna South Africa
Iodine High iodine content 3.282 respectivley 36 mg/kg dry matter in dried seaweed strips China
Mineral oil components (MOSH, MOAH) Mineral Oil Aromatic Hydrocarbons (MOAH) 4,4 mg/kg (1 mg/kg) in banana chips Philippines, notified by Netherlands
MOAH 23 (!) mg/kg (2 mg/kg) in olive pomace oil  Spain
MOAH 30 (!) mg/kg (2 mg/kg) in olive oil  Spain
MOAH 2,3 mg/kg (1 mg/kg) in cheesecake mix Netherlands
Contamination mineral oils in frozen potato product  Belgium, widely distributed 
MOAH 6,7 mg/kg  and MOSH 5.500 (!) mg/kg in pea protein USA
Mycotoxins Aflatoxin B1 208,5 (!!) µg/kg (5 µg/kg), Aflatoxins (total) 237,6 (!) µg/kg (10 µg/kg) in nut meg Indonesia
Aflatoxin B1 12,7 µg/kg (6 µg/kg), Aflatoxins (total) 17,5 µg/kg (10 µg/kg) in dried figs Turkey
Aflatoxin B1 10 µg/kg (5 µg/kg); in organic paprika powder Spain
Aflatoxin B1 17,3; 25,7 µg/kg  (8 µg/kg); Aflatoxins (total) 19; 27,8 µg/kg (10 µg/kg) in pistachios kernels (2) Iran (2)
Aflatoxin B1 12,4 µg/kg (8 µg/kg); Aflatoxins (total) 13,58 µg/kg (10 µg/kg) in granulated pistachios Turkey
Aflatoxin B1 19,8 µg/kg (8 µg/kg); Aflatoxins (total) 19,8 µg/kg (10 µg/kg) in pistachios Turkey
Aflatoxin B1 12,4 µg/kg  (8 µg/kg) in pistachios  Turkey
Aflatoxin B1 495,7 (!!) µg/kg (8 µg/kg), Aflatoxins (total) 503,4 (!!) µg/kg (10 µg/kg) in shelled pistachio kernels Turkey
Aflatoxin B1 16 µg/kg (8 µg/kg), Aflatoxins (total) 17,2 µg/kg (10 µg/kg) in pistachios in shell USA
Aflatoxin B1 4,5; 7,6 µg/kg (2 µg/kg), Aflatoxins (total) 5,4; 8,2 µg/kg (4 µg/kg) in groundnut kernels  (2) Argentina (2)
Aflatoxin B1 23 (!) µg/kg (2 µg/kg), Aflatoxins (total) 26 µg/kg (4 µg/kg) in groundnuts India
Aflatoxin B1 3,7 µg/kg (2 µg/kg) in groundnuts Egypt
Aflatoxin B1 18 µg/kg (2 µg/kg), Aflatoxins (total) 30 µg/kg (4 µg/kg) in peanuts Egypt
Aflatoxin B1 9,4 µg/kg (2 µg/kg), Aflatoxins (total) 10,2 µg/kg (4 µg/kg) & Cyfluthrin 0,02 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg) in groundnuts Egypt
Aflatoxin B1 11,5; 14,52; 33 µg/kg (2 µg/kg), Aflatoxins (total) 11,5; 27,16; 38 µg/kg (4 µg/kg) in peanuts/groundnuts (3) USA (3)
Aflatoxins (total) 194,7 (!) µg/kg (10 µg/kg) in Suya spice Nigeria
Aflatoxin B1 11,1; 14,6 µg/kg (2 µg/kg) & Aflatoxins (total) 12,1; 16,2 µg/kg (4 µg/kg) in Basmati rice (2) Pakistan (2)
Aflatoxin B1 5,4 µg/kg (2 µg/kg) & Aflatoxins (total) 5,7 µg/kg (4 µg/kg) in rice Pakistan
Aflatoxin B1 5,9 µg/kg (2 µg/kg) in Basmati rice Pakistan
Aflatoxin B1 4,9 µg/kg (2 µg/kg) in peanut butter USA
Ochratoxin A 42 µg/kg (8 µg/kg) in small raisins Uzbekistan
Ochratoxin A 6,1 µg/kg (2 µg/kg) in dried apricots Turkey
Ochratoxin A 7,5 µg/kg (3 µg/kg) & Ergotalkaloids 230 µg/kg (150 µg/kg) in wholemeal wheat flour France
Ochratoxin A 8,4 µg/kg (3 µg/kg) in Basmati rice India
Pesticides Chlorfenapyr +) 0,43 mg/kg (0,1 mg/kg) in dried and chopped chili  China
Ethylene oxide (sum of 2-chloroethanol and ethylene oxide, expressed as ethylene oxide)  0,34 (!) mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg) in food supplements India
Ethylene oxide (sum of 2-chloroethanol and ethylene oxide, expressed as ethylene oxide)  0,22 (!) - 0,69 (!!) mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg) in spice mixture India
Ethylene oxide 0,23 mg/kg (0,1 mg/kg) in food supplement India
Acetamiprid 0,14 (!) mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg); Azoxystrobin 3,3 (!!!) mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg); Boscalid 0,41 (!) mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg); Carbendazim +) 5,7 (!!) mg/kg  (0,1 mg/kg); Difenconazole 3,0 (!!) mg/kg  (0,05 mg/kg); Dimetomorph 0,66 (!) mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg); Propiconazole 0,068 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg); Thiophanate-methyll 15,5 (!!!) mg/kg (0,1 mg/kg) & Triadimenol 0,21 (!) mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg) in pickled vine leaves Egypt
Acetamiprid 0,15 mg/kg (0,05 mg/kg); Chlorpyrifos +) 0,059 mg/kg (0,01mg/kg); Fipronil +) 0,022 mg/kg (0,005 mg/kg); Flonicamid 0,3 mg/kg (0,1 mg/kg);  Hexaconazole +) 0,110 mg/kg (0,05 mg/kg); Imidacloprid 0,110 mg/kg (0,05 mg/kg);  Tolfenpyrad 0,27 (!) mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg) & Tricyclazole +) 0,60 (!) mg/kg (0,05 mg/kg) in Cumin seeds India
Chlothianidin 0,26 mg/kg (om05 mg/kg); Thiamethoxam 0,69 (!) mg/kg (0,05 mg/kg) in Cumin seeds  India
Chlorpyriphos +) 0,019 - 0,18 (!) mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg) in wheat gluten Germany
Chlorpyriphos +) 0,017 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg) in Basmati rice India
Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) Benzo(a)pyrene 11,7 µg/kg (5 µg/kg); sum of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons 45,4µg/kg (30 µg/kg) in cocoa powder, produced with cocoa nibs of unknown origin, Germany , via Netherlands
Pyrrolizidine alkaloids, Tropanalkaloids etc. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids 2.540 g/kg (400 µg/kg)  & Tropane alkaloids 706 µg/kg & pesticide residues: Malathion 0,18 mg/kg (0,02 mg/kg); Propiconazole 0,66 (!) mg/kg (0,05 mg/kg); Pyraclostrobin 0,74 mg/kg (0,1 mg/kg); Pyrimethanil 0,17 mg/kg (0,05 mg/kg); Thiacloprid 0,26 mg/kg (0,05 mg/kg); Thiamethoxam 0,21 mg/kg (0,05 mg/kg); Thiophanate-methyl 1,0 (!) mg/kg (0,1 mg/kg); Trifloxistrobin 0,57 mg/kg (0,05 mg/kg) in ground cumin Spain
Sulfites (E220) Undeclared sulfur dioxide-sulfites (340 mg/kg) on brown raisins Sweden
Undeclared sulphites in pre-cooked and peeled chilled brine shrimp Denmark
THC & Cannabinoids THC in sweets Czech Republic & Slovakia
Unapproved psychoactive cannabinoid (10-OH-HHC) in fruit gummies  Czech Republic
Too high content of delta-9-THC 3.002 mg/kg & 5,3 mg/kg  in cookies and syrup  USA, notified by Czech Republic
Unauthorized novel food (HHC, THC) in confectionery products Netherlands
Veterinary drug residues Nitrofuran (metabolite) furazolidone +) (AOZ) 12,39 (!); 17,46 (!) µg/kg (0,5 µg/kg) in eggs (2) Ukraine (2)  notified by Poland (1) and Slovakia (1)

+) application is prohibited

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

 

Microbiological Hazards Product Origin
E.coli in coquinas (Donax trunchulus) Bulgaria, notfied by Spain
in vegan cheese ( >15.000 cfu/g) Austria
EHEC, VTEC, STEC STEC in cheese Spain
Listeria monocytogenes L.m. and E.coli in Mozzarella cheese Italy
in hummus Belgium
in herring salad Bulgaria, notfied by Spain
in herring in jelly Germany
in diced tuna Vietnam
in smoked salmon Serbia, notified by Italy
in chilled smoked salmon, raw material from Norway Netherlands
in sliced salmon Belgium
in marinated salmon Poland
in cheese  France
Salmonella in  organic cashew kernels Côte d'Ivoire
in clams France
in paprika China
in pistachios Luxembourg
in vegan chocolate Germany
in ground ginger China
in almond paste Spain
in live bouchot mussels (Mytilus edulis) France
in chopped crab (and shell fragments) ) Netherlands
in halva (3) Syria (2), Turkey (1)
in tahini (2) Syria (2) 
in pecans USA
in sesame seeds (8) India (3), Nigeria (5)

 

Other Hazards   Origin
High vitamin D content in food supplements Germany, via Netherlands
Foreign bodies - glass - in vegan Genoese pesto and vegan red pesto  Italy
Foreign bodies (aluminum chips) (!) in microwave French fries Germany
Muscimol +) 12,24 mg/kg in hemp flower tea  Austria
llness from weight gain supplements Belgium
Suspected poisoning due to consumption of food supplements with excess vitamin D  Spain
Case of intoxication by "highly-dosed" vitamin D food supplement  Germany
Possible egg contamination in dry almond powder mixture  Germany
Undeclared allergen almond in dried pears and apples Turkey
Undeclared allergen (hazelnut & peanut) & contamination with Aflatoxin in milk chocolate Dubai Style Turkey
Undeclared allergen (gluten) in chocolate bar  Netherlands
Undeclared allergen (egg) & milk in cakes China, notfied by Spain
Undeclared allergen (milk) in snack product Ukraine
Undeclared allergen (milk) in pistachio cream Turkey
Undeclared allergen (milk) in meat product Belgium
Undeclared allergen (milk) in chips Belgium
Undeclared allergen (soy) in ready-made meal Netherlands
Undeclared allergen (soy) in seasoning Vietnam

Author: Dr. Frank Mörsberger, AGROLAB GROUP