June 2021 ended with 109 notifications of recalls from consumers, withdrawal from the market and withdrawal from recipients.
Country of origin
Belgium was the origin of most recalled products, with several, unrelated issues caused by pathogen contamination (Salmonella and Listeria), and two cases of undeclared wheat. Poland came right after, with cases of Salmonella in chicken and eggs, and Spain and Netherlands are tied for third place, with cases of unauthorised substances, especially mercury in marlin fish and undeclared ingredients, with sulfur dioxide in dried shiitake mushrooms.
Type of products recalled
Fruits and Vegetables take over the podium of most recalled products, mostly due to undeclared (sulfur dioxide) and unauthorised (chlorpyrifos and ethylene oxide) substances. Some of these substances were also found in dried mushrooms and herbs.
Reasons for Recall
Undeclared ingredients are among the most prevalent issues in last month’s food recalls. Some examples were sulfur dioxide, gluten, wheat and soya.
Ethylene oxide, Chlorpyrifos, Pesticide residues and cannabidiol are some of the unauthorised substances that caused food recalls. There were also at least 3 cases of substance migration from packaging to food: aluminum, cobalt from drinking cups and melamine and formaldehyde from coffee cups.
More and more often, we are seeing food recalls caused by substance migration. But how can companies prevent it? The Food Packaging Forum suggests that “migration can be reduced by careful manufacturing or the use of specially developed low migration closures”. The use of barrier materials can also reduce food contamination significantly.
Country of recall
If you have been following our monthly recall overview, it may not come as a surprise that Germany recalled more products than any other country. You may, however, have not seen as often countries like Belgium and Sweden at the top places of recall.
Cases of Ethylene oxide in black pepper, curcumin and food additives, Chlorpyrifos in barley and black eyed beans, and Salmonella in chicken and sausages were detected in Belgium.
Sweden had cases of Ethylene oxide, undeclared allergens (non-disclosed) and presence of foreign bodies: fragments of metal in confectionery and pieces of glass in olive oil.
See you next month for another food recall round-up! Meanwhile, don’t forget to follow SwissDeCode on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.