Rapid Alert System Research Articles

Compliance of Lebanese Pickling Industry with Lebanese and International Standards

In light of recent news reporting the use of banned colorants in Lebanese-made pickled turnips exported to the European Union (EU) by the Rapid Alert System of Food and Feed (RASFF), The Lebanese Consumer Protection Association tested samples of pickled turnips being sold to the public and confirmed the use of rhodamine B. Many products were pulled off the market and were replaced with new products that were supposed to be free of any banned colorants. We selected 5 different brands of pickled turnips and tested them for pH, salinity, nitrites, and colorants. We tested the salinity using two methods: evaporation and titration. The concentration of nitrites was tested by absorbency method. The presence of colorants was determined using TLC and absorbency method. We determined that the newly released pickled turnips comply with the rules and regulations adopted by the Lebanese Standards Institution (LIBNOR) and the international standards according to the Codex Alimentarius.

A 20-year analysis of reported food fraud in the global beef supply chain

BackgroundThe Horsemeat Scandal of 2013 highlighted vulnerabilities within the European beef supply chain. The report resulted in mass product recalls across Europe, a downturn in beef sales, and subsequent economic losses for genuine actors in the supply chain. The aim of this review was to improve understanding of beef supply chain vulnerability via the use of trend analysis, to enable the formulation of strategies that may help in the prevention and detection of fraud in beef products, and facilitate greater protection for consumers and industry in the future. Scope and approachRelevant Food notifications published in the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) and HorizonScan in 1997–2017 were extracted and analysed to determine their overall pattern. Frauds/adulterations were categorized by the type of fraud, their location in the food production chain, the notifying country and the origin of the food. ConclusionsCounterfeiting was the most common type of fraud in the beef industry; it accounted for 42.9% of all reports documented. When reports were classified by area in the supply chain in the report occurred, 36.4% of all cases were attributed to primary processing, of which 95.5% were counterfeiting cases. Counterfeiting included products manufactured/packed on unapproved premises, or without appropriate inspection or documentation, as well as products issued with fraudulent health certificates.Thus we conclude counterfeit product was found to be the biggest threat to the beef supply chain in relation to fraud type.

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

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.

Changes in Aflatoxin Standards: Implications for EU Border Controls of Nut Imports

AbstractFood safety concerns about the risk of aflatoxin (AF) contamination have been growing in many regions, particularly in the European Union (EU). To protect consumers from health risks, the EU has established strict standards for maximum acceptable AF levels in food products; these standards have changed several times. This article examines the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) database, which contains notifications on border controls on AF levels in tree nuts and peanuts. A count data model was used to analyze the impact of political economy considerations, past alerts, and path‐dependence effects on RASFF border controls. Policy changes, including the harmonization and relaxing of the EU's AF standards, significantly affected the frequency of border controls, with diverse effects among exporting countries. It is believed that the present study provides some insights to the modeling of food standards for explanation or forecasting purposes.

Food safety hazards in the European seaweed chain.

Seaweed is a source of protein that can help overcome the anticipated challenges of a growing world population and the current challenges for finding alternatives for animal proteins in the Western diet. Thus far, data on the safety of seaweed for feed and food purposes in the Western world are scattered. This study aimed to review the available knowledge on the presence of food safety hazards in seaweed, including factors influencing their presence, and to prioritize the hazards that may pose a risk to human health. Given current knowledge from the literature, data from the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed, and results from a stakeholder survey, 22 food safety hazards were ranked into major (4), moderate (5), and minor (13) hazards. Arsenic, cadmium, iodine, and Salmonella were identified as major hazards. Hazards, where data gaps exist, should be carefully assessed. These include pesticide residues, dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls, brominated flame retardants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pharmaceuticals, marine biotoxins, allergens, micro- and nanoplastics, other pathogenic bacteria, norovirus, and hepatitis E virus. It is recommended to collect more data on these hazards in future studies. Many factors can affect the presence of hazards including seaweed type, physiology, season, harvest and cultivation environment, geography including the location of cultivation, alongside further processing. Moreover, when seaweed is cultivated near industrialized or anthropogenic activities, these activities may negatively influence water quality, which can increase the likelihood of hazards in seaweed. Results of the ranking prioritized hazards can be used to prioritize monitoring programs and adjusted given future additional knowledge covering the data gaps.

Відповідь на гібридні загрози: особливості стратегії Європейського Союзу у боротьбі з дезінформацією

The features of the European Union’s comprehensive strategy on countering the disinformation have been analyzed. It is emphasized on the creation of the legal framework and the activities of institutions aimed at countering the hybrid challenges, combating disinformation, exposing false messages and strengthening of the independent media. 10 actions of the EU to tackle the disinformation have been analyzed, such as creating the EuvsDisinfo public database, protection the integrity of EU elections, debunking Euromyths, monitoring disinformation messages with the Rapid Alert System, establishing the EU-wide Code of Practice on Disinformation, organizing events that promote media literacy, empowering civil society to both identify and expose disinformation, facilitating the work of fact-checkers, creating campaigns that raize public awareness on the disinformation’s negative effects, supporting media freedom and pluralism for a healthy democracy. The instruments of the EU in response to the hybrid threats such as the East StratCom Task Force (ESTF), the Hybrid Fusion Cell (HFC) and the Rapid Alert System - Disinformation (RAS-DIS) have been monitored. It has been determined that the EU is particularly attentive to practical training in combating hybrid threats. It is alleged that the use of a multilevel, cross-sectoral approach enables the EU to gradually increase its defence to counter modern hybrid threats. It is highlighted that Ukraine, which is suffering from the hybrid war, should involve the experience of the use of the instruments developed within the EU, adopting and sharing experience in combating disinformation and provide the resistance to hybrid challenges.

Salmonella spp. in RASFF notifications involving Croatia in the period from 01/01/2014 to 31/12/2018

The Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) enables a fast exchange of information between bodies and institutions involved in the system (EU Member State national food safety authorities, Commission, EFSA, ESA, Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland and Switzerland) in order to respond promptly to the health risks associated with food and feed. Salmonella is an important cause of EU foodborne outbreaks, most frequently reported pathogenic microorganism in food in the last few years. The aim of this study was to analyze RASFF notifications on food products contaminated with Salmonella spp. involving Croatia in the period from 01/01/2014 to 31/12/2018. All data were downloaded from the RASFF database (RASFF portal) and processed in MS Excel 2010. The collected data provided information on the: country(ies) of origin and distribution of the contaminated product, notifying country, product and product category, notification type, risk decision, action taken, distribution status and, for some incidents, a Salmonella spp. serovar. Notifications mainly concerned "poultry meat and poultry meat products". Just over half of the reported food products originated from Poland, Brazil and Italy. Croatia was notifying country in almost half of the published notifications. Majority of the notifications were classified as alert notifications and of serious risk. Most of the Salmonella spp. notifications were based on official controls on the market and on company's own check.

Comparative analysis of notifications regarding mycotoxins in the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF)

Mycotoxins were the most frequently reported hazard category in the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) in 1981-2017. The study included notifications regarding mycotoxins based on the RASFF database using pivot tables in Excel and cluster analysis in Statistica 12. The following variables were taken into account: notification year, product category, notifying country, country of origin, notification basis, notification type, distribution status, risk decision and action taken. There were also presented mycotoxins in reports of other institutions, reduction of the hazards of mycotoxins and remarks related to data on mycotoxins from the RASFF database.

ANALYSIS OF THE INCIDENCE OF FOREIGN BODIES IN EUROPEAN FOODS

This paper contains a comprehensive review of different types of foreign matter reported in Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) during the period 2016 – 2018. It provides information on incidents of foreign matter contamination discussed and mined in terms of types of foreign bodies, food products involved and geographic distribution within indicated European regions. By analysing the presence of foreign bodies in different European regions (Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western Europe), we found, by means of statistical evaluation, that there were differences in some of the data obtained with respect to the country reporting a foreign body. We found that plastic, glass and metal were the most commonly reported in Western Europe, pests and rubber in Northern Europe. As far as food commodities are concerned, bakery and confectionery products, fruit and vegetables and convenience foods were most frequently reported and the notifications came most often from Western Europe. Notifications from this part of Europe were made with regard to other monitored commodities as well. Regarding the notification type, the most frequent one was an alert and, in the case of a risk decision, serious risk constituted the largest part.

Migration Studies of Two Common Components of UV-curing Inks into Food Simulants.

The Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) has reported many cases of different UV curing inks components in foodstuffs during the last few years. These contaminants reach foodstuffs mainly by set-off, their principal migration mechanism from the package. Under this premise, this work has tried to characterize the process of migration of two common UV ink components: a photoinitiator (4-Methylbenzophenone) and a coinitiator (Ethyl-4-(dimethylamino) benzoate), from the most common plastic material used in food packaging low-density polyethylene (LDPE) into six different food simulants. The migration kinetics tests were performed at four different common storage temperatures, obtaining the key migration parameters for both molecules: the coefficients of diffusion and partition. The migration process was highly dependent on the storage conditions, the photoinitiator properties and the pH of the foodstuff.

A comparison of analytical methods for the determination of urea in yeast-based food and feed ingredients

ABSTRACTUrea is a non-protein nitrogen compound, authorised in the EU as a nutritional source of nitrogen in animal feed intended for ruminants with a functional rumen. The Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) is the EU online platform through which food and feed safety risks are reported. During 2017, several rapid alerts were raised in the EU by individual member states regarding the presence of unlabelled urea in feed-grade yeast. The presence of urea in animal feed is analysed with a spectro-colorimetric method, which is the EU official control method. Other urea analytical methods include enzymatic and LC-MS methods, which are also investigated in this study. The main objectives of this study were to analyse yeast feed-grade and food-grade products with independent laboratories using the EU official control method, as well as enzymatic and LC-MS methods. Comparison of results from the spectro-colorimetric, enzymatic and LC-MS methods for reliability, consistency and accuracy determined the most reliable method for the quantification of urea in animal feed. Yeast food and feed samples were tested using four independent laboratories. Results demonstrated a lack of consistency both within the same laboratory and between separate laboratories for urea quantification using the EU official control method. Urea quantification results for the AOAC 941.04 enzymatic method were found to be much higher than anticipated. The LC-MS method yielded the most consistent and reliable results. In conclusion, urea quantification by LC-MS analysis has the potential to be a viable method for urea analysis of yeast samples.

Understanding possible causes of exceeding dioxin levels in palm oil by-products: An explorative study

The Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (period 1999–2014) reported exceeding levels of dioxins (polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxinsand dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs)) in palm oil by-products, such as palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD) and hydrogenated palm fatty acid distillate (HPFAD), but not in crude and refined palm oil. The aim of the present study was to gain insight into the occurrence and congener profiles of dioxin contamination during industrial processing of crude palm oil into refined oil and its by-products PFAD and HPFAD via analysis of individual congener concentrations. In total, 1217 samples from an industrial process were collected at four different points, crude palm oil at delivery (N = 202), fresh bleaching earth before bleaching (N = 84), PFAD after deodorising palm oil (N = 553), and HPFAD after hydrogenation of PFAD (N = 378). Congener profiles were analysed by GC-HRMS, and toxic equivalent (TEQ) levels were calculated using toxic equivalence factors (TEF) of WHO2005 to assess non-compliance to legal limits. All dioxin levels in crude palm oil samples were far below the action limit. All dioxin levels in fresh bleaching earth were in compliance with the maximum level. For the by-product samples, such as PFAD, 0.6% exceeded the action level, but all were below the maximum level (ML). However, for 1.3% of the HPFAD samples, the TEQ level exceeded the ML.In-depth analysis of the congener profiles revealed that after the hydrogenation step, the concentration of the lower chlorinated congeners in the HPFAD samples was higher than in the PFAD samples. The hydrogen atoms possibly replaced the chlorine atoms during hydrogenation. As these lower chlorinated congeners have a higher TEF, when they are regulated, their contribution to the calculated TEQ is higher, which resulted in some HPFAD samples exceeding the legal limit. Further research is needed to obtain insight into the changes in PCDD/F congener profiles during the hydrogenation of palm oil products.

Multi‐country outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes clonal complex 8 infections linked to consumption of cold‐smoked fish products

A prolonged multi-country outbreak of 22 listeriosis cases caused by Listeria monocytogenes sequence type (ST) 1247, clonal complex (CC) 8 has been identified through whole genome sequencing (WGS) in five EU countries: Denmark (9 cases), Estonia (6), Finland (2), France (1) and Sweden (4). Five patients have died due to, or with, the disease. The first case had symptom onset in July 2014 in Estonia, and the most recent case occurred in Denmark in February 2019. Eight patients, out of twelve for whom a food consumption history was available, confirmed the consumption of cold-smoked fish products.L. monocytogenes food isolates, matching the human outbreak strain by WGS, were detected at wholesale and retail level in four countries (i.e. France, Denmark, Italy and Sweden) from 13 batches of cold smoked or gravad salmon and from six batches of cold smoked trout products. Traceability information of the contaminated batches pointed to the Estonian processing Company A as the single common manufacturer of these fish products. The raw fish was received from suppliers in Norway and Finland. Environmental investigations and food testing at the Estonian processing plant showed the presence of L. monocytogenes that matched the outbreak strain in two samples on the processing line and in four batches of the final product.The presence of L. monocytogenes matching the outbreak strain over several years in the fish products suggests the persistence of the microorganism at the Estonian company's premises. Further investigation is needed to identify points of (cross-)contamination in the food processing plant. Control measures were implemented in Estonia, Denmark, France and Italy following the RASFF (Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed) notifications, but until the source of infection has been identified and controlled, new invasive listeriosis cases associated with this event may still occur.

Skin lightening products’ violations in Europe: An analysis of the rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products 2005–2018

BackgroundSkin lightening products containing dangerous levels of chemicals pose a serious health concern for consumers. However, to date, the extent of these products in Europe has not been extensively studied. The aim of this study was to determine whether harmful skin lightening products are available for sale in Europe and what violations exist regarding their composition. Materials and methodsWe queried the Rapex database, which is the Rapid Alert System for dangerous non-food products among 31 European countries, to identify skin lightening cosmetics reported between 2005 and 2018, and presented a detailed summary of these notifications. ResultsIn the years 2005–2018, of all violations regarding cosmetics, 26.3% concerned skin lightening products. In the database, 266 reports on skin lightening products were identified. Most of the notifications came from Germany (17.29%), France (17.29%), Portugal (15.41%), and the United Kingdom (11.65%). The majority of the registered products originated from non-European countries, mainly the Côte d’Ivoire (29.70%). The major reason for the violation was the content of hydroquinone, mercury, or clobetasol propionate. ConclusionsHazardous skin lightening products that are not in line with European cosmetics legislation are available on the European market. Most of the products are imported. The main risk associated with these products is the content of hydroquinone, mercury, and clobetasol propionate. It is important to bear in mind that this study focuses on the Rapex system and other sources of information may exist. Based on our findings, a more comprehensive evaluation by international authorities is justified.

A new high-throughput screening method to determine multiple dyes in herbs and spices

ABSTRACTThe unauthorised addition of colours to herbs and spices is a recurrent issue affecting food business operators. Such a practice aims at improving food visual attractiveness, masking poor product quality, and/or compensating for natural colour variation with the ultimate goal to increase profits. To detect this fraud, a new LC–MS/MS method was developed for screening 58 dyes in both herbs and spices. This extended list of targets was established based on requirements from international spices organisations, past issues identified by web scouting and by notifications from the European Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF). The method is intended to quickly detect fraudulent addition of dyes with Screening Target Concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 2.5 mg/kg. Validation was performed according to the European Community Reference Laboratories Residues Guidelines 20/1/2010. False positive and false negative rates were below 5% for all analytes and applicability of the method was further demonstrated by analysing 117 samples collected worldwide. None of the surveyed dyes was found in herbs (n = 28, 16 varieties) whereas 6% of spice samples (n = 89, 21 varieties) was found contaminated with one or two dyes at levels ranging from 0.12 to 255 mg/kg. Four out of the nine detected compounds have never been reported in the RASFF, thus demonstrating the usefulness of this analytical approach.

EFSA statement on the risk posed to humans by a vitamin B2 produced by a genetically modified strain of Bacillus subtilis used as a feed additive.

The detection of recombinant DNA in a vitamin B2 used as a feed additive was notified by the Belgian national authorities on 2 October 2018 via the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF). The European Commission requested scientific advice from EFSA on the risk posed to humans by the presence of genetically modified material in the feed additive, particularly with regard to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). EFSA assessed the analytical data from RASFF regarding the presence of AMR genes in both additive and feed. Samples of the additive and feed tested positive for the presence of DNA of a genetically modified Bacillus subtilis. The results were compatible with, but did not demonstrate the presence of, a full‐length chloramphenicol resistance gene. No information was made available on the presence of other AMR genes or viable cells of the B. subtilis. The statement provides a risk assessment pathway indicating the events needed to produce adverse human health effects from the presence of AMR genes in feed additives. Data on the likelihood of occurrence of all events are needed to produce an evidence‐based estimate of the risk. All the events are theoretically possible, but there are no scientific data available to estimate the probability of each taking place. Moreover, there is no evidence of the presence of full‐length AMR gene(s) in the vitamin B2 additive or feed; thus, it is not clear whether the first step towards AMR gene transfer is fulfilled. The sole presence of fragments of AMR genes in a feed additive is not a risk. If a full‐length AMR gene were present in a feed additive, it could lead to risks linked to its transmission to pathogens via the food chain and/or to the environmental spread of AMR bacteria/genes, potentially contributing to the environmental reservoir of AMR determinants.

The role of incurred materials in method development and validation to account for food processing effects in food allergen analysis.

The issue of undeclared allergens represents a matter of great concern, being the subject of many alert notifications by the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed portal of the European Commission, often leading to food recalls. The availability of reliable analytical approaches able to detect and quantify hidden allergens in processed foods is increasingly requested by the food industry, food safety authorities and regulatory bodies to protect sensitive consumers' health. The present review discusses the fundamental role of incurred materials for method development and analytical performance assessment in a metrology perspective on testing for undeclared allergens in processed foodstuffs. Due to the nature of the analytes and their susceptibility to various processing effects, reliability and comparability of results have posed a great challenge. In this context, the use of incurred samples as reference materials permits simulation of the effects of food processing on target analyte structure affecting analyte extractability and detectability. Graphical abstract ᅟ.

Pathogenic and Non-Pathogenic Microorganisms in the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed.

The most frequently notified pathogenic microorganisms in the RASFF in 1980–2017 were Salmonella sp., Listeria, Escherichia and Vibrio, whereas, among the notified non-pathogenic microorganisms were unspecified microorganisms, Enterobacteriaceae, Salmonella sp. and Coliforms. Microorganisms were reported mainly in poultry meat, meat, fish, molluscs, crustaceans, fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, nuts, milk, cereals (in food) and in feed materials and pet food (in feed). The number of notifications decreased at the turn of 2005 and 2006, but has steadily increased since then. The notification basis were official controls, border controls and company’s checks. Products were notified mainly by Italy, France, United Kingdom, Germany and Netherlands. The reported products originated from Brazil, European Union countries and India, Thailand and Vietnam. The notification types were alerts, information and border rejections. The distribution status was often not specified or distribution on the market was possible. The risk decision was usually not made. Products were re-dispatched, import was not authorised or products were withdrawn from the market, destroyed and recalled from the market. Proper cooperation within the framework of the RASFF can contribute to shaping public health law and reducing outbreaks associated with microorganisms.

ANALYSIS OF SALMONELLA SPP. DETECTIONS IN EUROPEAN UNION COUNTRIES ACCORDING TO RASFF DATABASE

Ofcial data of RASFF (Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed) database on detection of Salmonella spp. in animal and plant raw materials in 2010–2015 are demonstrated. Total of 2,651 notifcations of Salmonella spp. detection were reported by RASFF member countries. The majority of such notifcations are associated with contamination of poultry meat and poultry products, feed, fruits and vegetables. Salmonella can survive in food for a long time (up to 6 months). The cause of salmonellosis in humans mostly involves consumption of raw or insufciently heat-treated eggs, meat and milk products. Regulation (EU) No. 142/2011 prescribes a requirement, which the heat-treated and processed food products shall comply with, i.e. absence of Salmonella in 25 g of the product. Analysis of RASFF data for 2010–2015 demonstrated annual increase of Salmonella spp. detections. The most frequently occurring is Salmonella enterica. Over the above mentioned period there were notifcations of 154 Salmonella serovars, the overwhelming serovars include S. enterica – 32.4%; Salmonella spp. – 18.8%; S. enteritidis – 6.3%; S. typhimurium – 4.6%, S. Agona – 2.6%; S. Lexington – 1.4%. Salmonella spp. were detected in poultry meat (19.5%), in feed for dogs and cats (5.6%), in pork (3.7%), in fshmeal (5.1%). During the period from 2010 to 2014, the increase of Salmonella notifcations in plant feed was reported. Over 2010–2015, RASFF reported of 42 salmonellosis outbreaks that resulted in 1,586 diseased humans.

Quality of Romanian Food Products on Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed Notifications

Quality of Romanian Food Products on Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed Notifications