The year in the old continent started with a decline in monthly food recalls: a total of 89 were reported, down from 158 in the last month of 2021.
Type of product recalled
The product category that suffered the most recalls was not a food product, but rather food contact materials. Most notifications were due to migration of melamine and unauthorised use of bamboo in products originating mostly from China.
Fruits and vegetables continue to suffer from excessive levels of pesticides, mostly those originating from outside Europe (e.g. Cambodia, China, Turkey and Egypt). However, there are also cases of excessive levels of Propiconazole in tangerines from Spain.
Another relevant product category was milk and milk products. The presence of pathogens (Listeria and E.coli) affected cheese, flavoured yoghurt and infant formula originating from countries such as Belgium, France, Italy and Spain.
Reasons for recall
Unauthorized substances are once again the main reason for food recalled in Europe, totalizing approximately half of all the recalls. The main substances are bamboo fibre and ethylene.
About 21% of the recalls happened due to toxins, alkaloids and chemicals such as Ochratoxin A present in dried figs from Turkey, organic mace powder from Sri Lanka and instant coffee from Vietnam, and Anthraquinone present in mate tea from Argentina.
Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a naturally occurring foodborne mycotoxin found in a wide variety of agricultural commodities worldwide, ranging from cereal grains to dried fruits to wine and coffee. Various studies have linked OTA exposure with the human diseases Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) and chronic interstitial nephropathy (CIN), as well as other renal diseases.
Anthraquinone is a potent aromatic compound that offers numerous therapeutic benefits such as inhibiting cancer growth, relieving constipation, etc. They are found naturally in some plants such as senna, buckthorn or yellow dock. Over consumption of anthraquinones causes abdominal cramps, gastrointestinal discomforts, vomiting, dermatitis, nausea, bloody diarrhea and dizziness. The Maximum Residual Limit for Anthraquinone in tea allowed in Europe is 0.02 mg/kg.
Country of Origin
Food contact products from China were once again found to have excessive levels of bamboo fibre, taking the country to the top of this list.
French and Polish products had a similar mix of food quality issues between them. Pesticides were found in vegetables and ice creams; pathogens were found in cheese and poultry products; and glass fragments were found in rosé wine and red beet.
Country of Recall
The champion of recalling uncompliant food products was unsurprisingly Germany, with 20 notifications including the presence of pathogens, toxins and pesticides.
Very similar issues were found in France and Belgium, which issued 12 and 11 notifications respectively. This includes, for example, chlorpyrifos in Pomegranates from Turkey and ethylene oxide in spices and seasonings from India.
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