Report from the European Rapid Alert System for 2019

The Federal Office of consumer protection and Food Safety (BVL) published a summary of notifications in the European Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed for 2019

For more than 5 years now, we have been informing you about the most remarkable notifications in the European Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) in our RADAR. We have noticed that the notifications do not differ very much from month to month. The recurring notifications include mycotoxins in nuts, raisins and dried fruit from Southern Europe, the countries of the Middle East and the USA, as well as salmonella in chicken breast from South America and Poland, and salmonella in numerous spices and seeds.

In 2019, according to the BVL, salmonella were again the most frequent reason for reporting to the RASFF. It is particularly noteworthy that the number of notifications in the category "herbs and spices" increased by 170% compared to 2018.

The number of notifications on food supplements has been increasing for years. This trend continued in 2019. The number of notifications has increased by 33% compared to 2018. The reason is mainly the presence of unauthorised substances, such as pharmaceutical substances.

The BVL has compiled a complete summary of the current evaluation of all notofications from 2019 on its website.

Author: Dr. Katja Fuchs