October ended with 135 food recalls reported in Europe, just 2 more notifications than the previous month.
Type of product recalled
The top category of recalled products was actually not food, but food contact materials. Similar to the last few months, there were several cases of unauthorised use of bamboo in lunch boxes, dinner sets, drinking cups, etc.
Fruits and vegetables such as lemons, oranges, pears and chickpeas were particularly affected by high levels of Chlorpyrifos-methyl, an insecticide that has been keeping food authorities in Europe very busy for the most part of 2021.
Prepared dishes and snacks had several cases of presence of Ethylene Oxide, another frequently reported pesticide in Europe.
Reasons for recall
Without surprise, unauthorised substances were the main reason for food recalls, being responsible for 43% of all recall notifications in October. Most cases were due to high levels of pesticide residues.
Second on the list comes Toxins, Alkaloids and Chemicals, with several cases of the presence of Cadmium, a toxic metal, in food products.
A wide range of unrelated products was found to be contaminated with Salmonella, from tiger nut flour and spearmint leaves, to deer and crocodile meat.
In the past decade, Europe has been seeing an increase in reptile meat imports. But “for crocodiles, Salmonella spp. constitute a significant public health risk due to the high intestinal carrier rate which is reflected in an equally high contamination rate in their fresh and frozen meat.” In February 2020, the EU issued a regulation that states Salmonella must not be detected in 25g of reptile meat.
Country of Origin
China was the main origin of products recalled, mostly of food contact products containing unauthorised bamboo.
Germany and Spain followed with 8 recalls each, with a mix of Salmonella, E. Coli, ethylene oxide, among others.
The third place was shared by Turkey and Poland, also with several cases of pathogens and pesticides. One unusual case was the presence of decoquinate in eggs from Poland. Decoquinate is a feed addictive used to prevent parasitic diseases in chickens. The maximum residual level is set at 20 µg/kg, but it is prohibited to treat laying hens with the drug.
Country of Recall
Germany continues to be the absolute champion of notifications, with 21 recalls in October alone. Salmonella and Chlorpyrifos were among the main reasons.
Listeria continues to be frequently found in France, this time with cases in egg rolls, raw milk goat cheese and chilled sliced garlic sausage.
Belgium detected some serious problems for people with allergies, namely peanut oil wrongly labeled as sunflower oil, and undeclared soy in oven baked roasted paprika.
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