Alert system reports 'all-time high' in EU food warnings
LEIGH PHILLIPS
24.07.2008 @ 16:52 CET
The European Union experienced a record number of food safety warnings in 2007, the EU's health commissioner has revealed.
In its annual report, the EU's Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), released by commissioner Androulla Vassiliou on Wednesday (23 July), recorded 7,354 notifications of health risks from food or animal feed that were passed on to the European Commission in 2007 - an "all-time high", according to the commissioner, and up 13.5 percent on the previous year.
Fish products were the biggest offenders with some 21% alerts originating with seafood (Photo: EUobserver.com)
In 2006, the total came to 6,840 such notifications.
However, Ms Vassiliou cautioned that an increase in warnings does not mean a decline in food safety.
"Does the increase of notifications signify that our food is getting less safe? No, it doesn't. It may well mean the contrary," she said.
The main reason for the increase was a growth in follow-up notifications coming after the original notifications had been sent.
The majority (65%) of alert notifications in 2007 related to products originating in the EU.
The risks most reported through the alerts were the presence of potentially pathogenic micro-organisms, foreign bodies (such as glass fragments in yoghurt), heavy metals (such as mercury in fish) and mycotoxins.
As in 2006, fish products were the biggest offenders. Some 21% alerts originated with seafood.
Information notifications, distinct from alerts, are sent when a risk has been identified but immediate action by other Member States is not necessary as the product has not reached their market.
Most information notifications (73%) were on products originating in non EU countries.
Some 12 percent of the products resulting in notifications were of Chinese origin.
The RASFF allows a rapid, round-the-clock exchange of information between EU member states (and non-member-states Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and the commission when risks to human health are detected in the food and feed chain.