Food hazards on the European Union market: The data analysis of the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed

Abstract

The aim of the study was to examine similarities in notifications on main hazards within food reported in the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) in 1979–2017. The main problems were mycotoxins in nuts, pathogenic microorganisms in poultry meat and fish, pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables, and heavy metals in fish. The increase in the number of notifications has been observed since 2002/2003. Products were notified mainly by Italy, Germany, and United Kingdom and originated from Asian and European Union countries. The notification basis was border control and official control, and the notification type was border rejections, information, and alerts. Notified products were not distributed and not placed on the market, distribution status could be also not specified, or distribution was possible, also to other countries. The risk decision on hazard was usually not made. Products were redispatched, withdrawn from the market, and destroyed, or import was not authorized. Remarks, which can be used to improve the RASFF database, were also presented. It was further pointed out that European law should significantly reduce the use of pesticides, drugs, and food additives, and European agriculture should be reoriented from an intensive farming to a more sustainable and ecological one.

Analysis of E.U. Rapid Alert System (RASFF) Notifications for Aflatoxins in Exported U.S. Food and Feed Products for 2010–2019

“…Mycotoxin contamination results in more notifications than any other hazard in the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), and the foremost toxin that has been associated with the notifications is AFs, especially in the nuts and nut products [ 1 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ]. RASFF was established in 1979 by the E.U.…”

The effects on European importers’ food safety controls in the time of COVID-19

“…Based on the notifications recorded in the RASFF database, contingency tables were produced to identify whether the level of monitoring by importing countries changed due to stricter or weaker food safety controls between 2018 and 2020 ( Table 3 ). Following the approach of Pigłowski (2020) , feed was omitted in the study. The analysis focused exclusively on food because it was the most frequently notified product category in the RASFF from 1979 to 2017 (89.5% of all notifications).…”

“…This method was useful to explore possible changes in notification behaviour and thereby achieve the research aims. Pigłowski (2015 , 2017 , 2020) used cluster analysis to explore the dependence between food safety notifications and product characteristics. However, that study was conducted in a different environment because of the absence of the effects of COVID-19.…”

“…Pigłowski (2015 , 2017) used cluster analysis to explore the dependence between food safety notifications and product characteristics. The same author ( Pigłowski, 2020 ) offered an overview of the paradigm of food safety, reviewing the literature on notifications by hazard category from 1996 to 2018.…”

“…It therefore provides a powerful tool for the exchange of information between European countries. This tool has enabled tracking of the risks that could affect the food chain and endanger public health ( Kleter et al, 2009 ; Banach et al, 2016 ; Pigłowski, 2015 , 2017 , 2019 , 2020 ; D’Amico et al, 2018 ; Postolache et al, 2020 ). In this paper, RASFF data are used to explore the impact of the COVID-19 health crisis and the subsequent disruption of the food value chain, which might lead to the relaxing or tightening of food controls at the border.…”