Food News

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

Alarm

In this article, we repeat important alerts from the European Commission's RASFF system from the past month.

 

The table is even clearer. We sort the notifications by product group, using the headings in the RASFF system and the countries of origin in the second column as a guide. You know your raw materials, products and their origins best. This enables you to swiftly determine whether any notifications in the rapid alert system are relevant to you. We have classified notifications marked as 'serious' as relevant in the system.

 

We generally refrain from repeating measured values and comparing maximum permissible levels of individual contaminants. In addition, we will largely stop issuing warnings about microbiological contamination in the following product groups: meat and meat products, poultry and poultry products, fish and seafood, and milk and milk products. For ten years, there have been recurring reports on known pathogenic germs every month. Furthermore, these perishable foods are usually unavailable by the time our report is published.

 

We continue to list notifications concerning dried and processed fruit and vegetables (excluding frozen goods) under 'Food Notifications'. However, we group all seafood and algae together in one product group, deviating from the RASFF product group classification system.


You can easily evaluate the RASFF page yourself using the various filter options to limit the notifications to those of direct interest to your company. Link: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/screen/search

 

We hope you like the new design of the tables and look forward to receiving your feedback.

 

August 2026

Chemical Hazards:

Product  Group Origin Hazard Notification
Cereals and bakery products France Mycotoxins Excessive levels of ochratoxin A 176,2 µg/kg (!!) (8 µg/kg) found in fab fig gingerbread
Italy Biotoxins Tropane alkaloid levels (sum of atropine and scopolamine) exceeding the legal limit in popcorn
Peru Pesticides Chlorpyriphos-methyl +) 0,052 mg/kg (0,02 mg/kg) in organic cacao powder 
Slovakia Mycotoxins Aflatoxin B1 in organic baby porridge (Rice porridge with strawberries and raspberries)
United Kingdom Pesticides Anthraquinone in green tea from the United Kingdom, via the Netherlands 
Cocoa and cocoa preparations, coffee and tea  Kenya Mycotoxins Ochratoxine A 51 µg/kg in coffee
Peru Pesticides Chlorpyrifos +) in organic cacao powder
Dietetic foods, food supplements and fortified foods Germany Declaration and composition Excessive iodine content (87.000.000  (!!!) µg/kg) in food supplement 
Netherlands Unauthorised ingredients None authorized food supplement with CBD +) and melatonin +). Curcumin and MSM above national legislation. 
Poland Declaration and composition High caffeine content (179 (!!!) mg/kg) in energy sachets from Poland via the Czech Republic 
United Kingdom Unauthorised ingredients Sildenafil +) in food supplement from United Kingdom, via Poland
Dried fruits (nuts see below) Iran Pesticides Acetamiprid , Captan (sum), Fenpropathrin +) 0,065 mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg ) , Indoxacarb and Tetrahydrophthalimide in dried grapes marketed in Spain
Spain Mycotoxins Aflatoxins(total) 114 µg/kg (!) (10 µg/kg) in dried figs coated with flour 
Tunisia Pesticides Chlorfenapyr 0,44 (!) mg/kg (0,01 mg/kg  in sun dried tomatoes
Turkey Mycotoxins Aflatoxins in dried figs
Turkey Mycotoxins Aflatoxins and ochratoxin A in dried figs
Greece Mycotoxins Ochratoxin A 590 µg/kg (!!) (8,0 µg/kg) in dried white figs 
Turkey Mycotoxins Ochratoxin A in dried figs (5)
Turkey Mycotoxins Ochratoxin A in dried figs paste
United Kingdom Mycotoxins Patulin in apple chips
Fats and oils Italy Industrial contaminants Mineral oil components (MOSH/MOAH) in olive pomace oil
Fish, crustaceae, bivalve molluscs, cephalo-& gastropods and product thereof Italy Heavy metals Mercury in swordfish fillets in olive oil
Japan Heavy metals Cadmium and mercury in fish (Makaira nigricans)
Netherlands Biogenic amines Histamine in soused herring (Matjes)
Portugal Heavy metals Mercury in swordfish
Spain Biogenic amines Histamine above legal limits in thawed tuna produced in Italy with raw material from Spain
Spain Heavy metals Mercury in frozen skinless blue shark steaks
Spain Heavy metals Mercury in swordfish (Xiphias Gladius)
Herbs and spices China Mycotoxins Ochratoxin A and aflatoxin B1 in a paprika spice mix
Egyp Pesticides Chlorpyrifos +) in fennel seed powder
Germany Biotoxins Exceedance of pyrrolizidine-alkaloids (PA's) in ground parsley
India Pesticides Ten different pesticide residues thereof unauthorised pesticides: Chlorpyriphos +), Fipronil +), Hexaconazole +) and Picoxystrobin +) in cumin,
Sri Lanka Environmental pollutant BaP and PAK's in clove
Unknown Mycotoxins Aflatoxin B1 in crushed chili 
Vietnam Heavy metals Mercury in cinnamon spices 
Meat and meat products Belgium Heavy metals Cadmium 16,4 mg/kg (!) (0,5 mg/kg) in horse liver
Nuts, nut products, pulses and seeds Argentina Mycotoxins Aflatoxins in peanuts (2)
Argentina Mycotoxins Aflatoxins in (shelled) groundnuts (5)
Argentina Mycotoxins Aflatoxine B1 in Groundnut Runner (2)
Azerbaijan Mycotoxins Aflatoxins in hazelnut kernel (2), thereof 91 µg/kg (!) (2 µg/kg in organic hazelnuts
Bolivia Mycotoxins Aflatoxin B1 in nuts 
China Mycotoxins Aflatoxins in unshelled peanuts
Czechia Biotoxins Exceeding the maximum permitted limit of opium alkaloids in poppy seeds originating Czechia via Slovakia
Georgia Mycotoxins Aflatoxins in hazelnuts
India Mycotoxins Aflatoxins B1 in groundnuts 
Iran Mycotoxins Aflatoxins in shelled pistacchios
Poland Food additives and flavourings Exceeding the maximum sulfur dioxide level in coconut flakes 
Spain Biotoxins Exceeding the MRL for opium alkaloids in poppy seeds 
Uruguay Mycotoxins Aflatoxins in Groundnuts
USA Mycotoxins Aflatoxine B1 in shelled pistacchios
USA Mycotoxins Aflatoxins  in groundnuts (3)
Prepared dishes and snacks Philippines Industrial contaminants MOAH in honey-dipped banana chips, notified by Netherlands
Soups, broths, sauces and condiments  France Pesticides Excedeeng flonicamid MRL and ARfD in red chili peppers 

 

+) Application prohibited

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

 

Microbiological Hazards:

Product  Group Origin Notification
Fish, crustaceae, bivalve molluscs, cephalo-& gastropods and product thereof France Listeria in octopus
Italy E.coli in bivalve molluscs (Mytilus galloprovincialis) (2)
Ices and desserts Germany Bacillus cereus in Protein Pudding
Milk and milk products Cyprus Listeria monocytogenes in halloumi 
France Listeria in organic brie
Italy Listeria monocytogenes in sweet gorgonzola 
Nuts, nut products and seeds Greece Salmonella in organic sesame paste
Nigeria Salmonella in sesame seeds (4)
Pakistan Salmonella in sesame seeds
Turkey Salmonella in sesame seeds
Turkey Salmonella spp. in hazelnut paste
Other food products & Prepared dishes and snacks Netherlands Listeria in a rice tuna (triangle) snack

 

Other Hazards:

Product  Group Origin Hazard Notification
Cereals and bakery products Belgium Allergens Undeclared allergen mustard in a breadmix
China Allergens Undeclared allergens milk & egg in a waffle
Morocco Allergens Undeclared mustard detected in food paste “angel hair pasta”
Confectionery Spain Unauthorised ingredients Glycerin (E 422) +) in liquid desserts for freezing
Ices and desserts Italy Allergens Undeclared hazelnut proteins in cake mix 
Other food products & Prepared dishes and snacks China Allergens Allergen not declared on the Spanish label (milk) in Asian-style noodles via Germany, notfied by Spain
France Allergens Labelling error on organic plates for babies and the presence of an undeclared milk allergen 
Germany Allergens Undeclared allergen (sulfites) on canned grape leaves
Spain Allergens Undeclared allergen fish in a can of olives

 

 

Author: Dr. Frank Mörsberger, AGROLAB GROUP