According to data recorded by the EU Rapid Alert Network (Rasff), Spain detects an average of 11 food alerts per month Products not sold in supermarkets due to border controls.
The network relies on the European Commission, as a portal containing the database Through the platform, all notifications regarding border product information or rejections will be made public.
So far this year, 38 fewer food alerts detected than this time last yearAs of August 16, 2022, a total of 132 notifications have been received.
The figures compare the situation in different years, with 237 alerts issued by the European Union’s rapid alert network in 2021, compared with 48 in 2020.
From ‘serious’ risk to ‘hesitant’
Of this year’s alert totals, 19 people in the ‘serious’ health risk category Most of these were at this level due to microbial contamination by Vibrio, Salmonella or because they contained the toxin aflatoxin.
to a lesser extent, Alert of “potentially serious” risk; Rasff made a total of two products to this level due to the presence of Vibrio and Anisakis.
The remaining alerts, on the other hand, range between Potential Risk, Minor Risk, and Undecided; there are alerts for all of the above reasons, with additional reasons added, such as the presence of pesticide residues.
Vibrio present in 4 out of 10 alerts
The presence of Vibrio is Reasons for registering a large number of alerts Food in Spain accounted for 40% of the total so far this year.
Vibrio is a group of bacteria in domestic water and fresh water, present in many aquatic animals, and its infection is usually associated with gastroenteritis, bacteremia, wound and soft tissue infection, cellulitis, otitis media and meningitis.
retail37 of 38 notification alerts belonged to the causative species of Vibrio choleraewhich has two serogroups capable of producing cholera, most of which were detected in frozen shrimp from Ecuador.
It is for this bacterium that the Spanish Food Safety Agency (Aesan) has published a report in which it recommends a “zero tolerance” standard for Vibrio cholerae at the border.
Aflatoxins were present, in 11 cases, and break the cold chainwith eight cases, was the most other reason for repeated alerts.
According to the European Food Safety Authority (Efsa), aflatoxins are mycotoxins produced by fungi, especially in regions with hot and humid climates, and may be present in foods such as peanuts, tree nuts, corn and rice.
Several types of aflatoxins occur naturally, in particular, Aflatoxin B1 is the most common toxin in food It is also one of the most genotoxic and carcinogenic aflatoxins.
In addition, there have been seven cases of “new unauthorized food” this year, among food products intercepted by the Spanish border and not allowed to be delivered in Spanish supermarkets.
For example, During August, two “non-critical risk” reports were reported For a new unauthorized food, Aconite leaf of leguminous plant, found in vegetable preparations and grains from India.
Entry to the country has also been denied in recent months Egg products in unauthorized pastries from Morocco or other foods containing unauthorized pesticides such as ethylene oxide.
Alerts by country
A total of 19 notifications were issued by the country of origin The country with the most alerts so far this year is Ecuadorfollowed by Australia and China, each with 10 alerts.
These three countries are followed by Morocco with eight alert products, India and Egypt with six each, and the United States with five.
Other countries such as the Dominican Republic, Mexico, South Africa and Turkey also appear on the LASFS list, which until today issued a single alert.
Source: EFEAgro