New Commission’s report on food quality

Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF)

Launched in 1979, the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) is primarily a tool to exchange information between national competent authorities on consignments of food and feed in cases where a risk to human health has been identified and measures have been taken. Examples of such measures are: withholding; recalling; seizure or rejection of the products concerned. This quick exchange of information allows all EU Member States to immediately check whether they are also affected by the problem. Whenever a product is already on the market and should not be consumed, the Member States' authorities are then able to take all urgent measures, including giving direct information to the public, if necessary.

Reference: MEMO/13/524, European Commission, MEMO, Brussels, 10 June 2013

RASFF’s aim and purpose

The swift exchange of information among the RASFF members on food and feed related risks ensures coherent and simultaneous actions by all RASFF members.

The publication of notifications through the RASFF portal database makes consumers aware that we are active in this domain. Consumers can get access to an online database allowing them to see information relating to RASFF notifications the latest 24 hours after their transmission in the RASFF network. Thanks to the work carried out by the RASFF, and depending on different technical and scientific criteria such as nature, seriousness and extent of the risk, public health authorities can take the appropriate steps to inform the general public of the nature of the risk, type of food or feed involved and the measures taken to prevent, reduce or eliminate that risk.

Practical implication

It is important that the problem is notified: member states use a template to provide all relevant and useful information such as identification of the product, hazards found, measures taken and traceability information of the product. Once the information received through the system, other Member States will check if they are concerned. If the product is on their market they will be able to trace it using the information they find in the notification. They will report back to the RASFF on what they have found and what measures they have taken. In case of products produced in EU, the Member State of origin will also report to RASFF the outcome of its investigations into the origin and distribution of the product and the cause of the problem identified. This allows other Member States to take rapid action if required.

Criteria for notification to the RASFF

The criteria for notification to the RASFF are provided in Article 50 of Regulation (EC) N° 178/2002. (See: Official Journal, L 60, 1.3.2002, p. 70–80).

Whenever a member of the network has any information relating to the existence of a serious direct or indirect risk to human health deriving from food or feed, this information is immediately notified to the Commission under the RASFF. The Commission immediately transmits this information to the members of the network.

Article 50(3) of the Regulation gives further criteria for when a RASFF notification is required:

“Without prejudice to other Community legislation, the Member States shall immediately notify the Commission under the rapid alert system of:

= any measure they adopt which is aimed at restricting the placing on the market or forcing the withdrawal from the market or the recall of food or feed in order to protect human health and requiring rapid action;

= any recommendation or agreement with professional operators which is aimed, on a voluntary or obligatory basis, at preventing, limiting or imposing specific conditions on the placing on the market or the eventual use of food or feed on account of a serious risk to human health requiring rapid action;

= any rejection related to a direct or indirect risk to human health, of a batch, container or cargo of food or feed by a competent authority at a border post within the European Union.”

Membership in the RASFF system

The RASFF network comprises of: EU Member States; EEA countries (Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland); EFTA Secretariat coordinating the input from the EEA countries; European Food Safety Authority (EFSA); and the Commission as the manager of the system. Since 1 January 2009, Switzerland became a partial member of the system after they concluded an agreement with the EU eliminating border controls between the EU and Switzerland for products of animal origin. From 1 July 2013, Croatia will become a new member of the RASFF.

Main findings of the RASFF annual report for 2012

In 2012 the number of RASFF notifications reached a total of 8797, representing a 3.9% decrease compared to 2011. Of those, 3516 were original notifications (40 %) and 5281 were follow-up notifications (60%). These figures represent a 7.8% decrease in original notifications and a 1.2% decrease in follow-up notifications. A total of 526 alert notifications reporting on serious risks found in products on the market, which marked decrease of 14% compared to 2011.

Of the 3516 original notifications transmitted in RASFF in 2012, 332 concerned feed (9.4%) and regarding food contact materials, 299 notifications were counted (8.5%). These figures are in line with what was reported in 2011. 2885 original notifications were related to food.

Hazards and products covered by the top notifications:

Overall notifications and decrease in food safety

There are many factors that influence notifications to RASFF. Nonetheless, no change in these factors can be identified that may have caused the decrease although no figures are available to RASFF on the level of food safety checks in the member countries in 2012 compared to the previous years. It is important to note that there was no decrease for so-called follow-up notifications on problems reported for products placed on the market in the EU. This means that RASFF is used ever more intensively to follow up on these problems. As a consequence, these problems will be solved more rapidly and measures will be put in place to prevent them from happening again.

The RASFF’s role in the recent horse meat scandal

RASFF is primarily a platform to exchange information on food safety issues and not on fraud. However, the Commission decided to use the RASFF system to notify this case because the system is able to collect and report on complex traceability which was a key issue in this incident.

It is important to highlight that thanks to the RASFF, the Irish food safety authority, which originally discovered that some processed foods labelled as 100% beef contained horsemeat, was able to swiftly alert its European partners. As a result of a monitoring programme, launched by the Commission, over 70 RASFF notifications were sent which led to over 300 follow-up notifications to trace the products and withdraw them from the market.

The horsemeat scandal has raised a legitimate need to exchange information on cases of food fraud which is an emerging phenomenon. To address this issue the Commission has prepared a 5 point Action Plan to tackle fraudulent practices. The plan aims to close the gaps identified in the wake of the horsemeat scandal including setting up a procedure for the rapid exchange of information and alerts in cases which may constitute food fraud (See: IP/13/520).

RASFF 2012 – Breakdown by Member State of top 5 most notified product category/hazard combination

Origin	Product category	Hazard	Product category	Hazard	Product category	Hazard	Product category	Hazard	Product category	Hazard
Austria	feed materials	Salmonella Agona	feed materials	Salmonella Mbandaka	nuts, nut products and seeds	aflatoxins	fruits and vegetables	omethoate	fruits and vegetables	monocrotophos
Belgium	nuts, nut products and seeds	aflatoxins	dietetic foods, food supp., fortified foods	unauthorised irradiation	feed materials	too high count of Enterobacteriaceae	feed materials	Salmonella spp.	feed materials	aflatoxins
Bulgaria	fruits and vegetables	formetanate	fruits and vegetables	procymidone	fruits and vegetables	tetradifon	fruits and vegetables	oxamyl	fruits and vegetables	clofentezine
Cyprus	food contact materials	migration of primary aromatic amines	cephalopods and products thereof	arsenic	feed materials	aflatoxins	food contact materials	migration of formaldehyde	food contact materials	migration of lead
Czech Republic	cereals and bakery products	insufficient labelling	food contact materials	material abrading	food contact materials	migration of primary aromatic amines	food contact materials	migration of formaldehyde	nuts, nut products and seeds	unsuitable organoleptic characteristics
Denmark	fruits and vegetables	aflatoxins	meat and meat products (other than poultry)	prohibited substance chloramphenicol	feed materials	high count of Enterobacteriaceae	herbs and spices	Salmonella spp.	poultry meat and poultry meat products	Salmonella enteritidis
Estonia	food contact materials	migration of formaldehyde	feed materials	Salmonella	fish and fish products	parasitic infestation with Anisakis	food contact materials	migration of lead	feed materials	Salmonella spp.
Finland	fruits and vegetables	too high content of sulphite	non-alcoholic beverages	too high content of E 210 - benzoic acid	dietetic foods, food supp, fortified foods	unauthorised substance 1,3 dimethylamylamine	nuts, nut products and seeds	aflatoxins	dietetic foods, food supp., fortified foods	unauthorised substance tadalafil
France	fruits and vegetables	aflatoxins	herbs and spices	profenofos	herbs and spices	bifenthrin	herbs and spices	triazophos	herbs and spices	diethion
Germany	nuts, nut products and seeds	aflatoxins	fruits and vegetables	aflatoxins	poultry meat and poultry meat products	unauthorised substance clopidol	food contact materials	migration of formaldehyde	meat and meat products (other than poultry)	shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli
Greece	nuts, nut products and seeds	aflatoxins	nuts, nut products and seeds	Salmonella spp.	feed materials	Salmonella spp.	fruits and vegetables	too high content of sulphite	nuts, nut products and seeds	Salmonella Mbandaka
Hungary	soups, broths, sauces and condiments	attempt to illegally import	nuts, nut products and seeds	infested with larvae of insects	feed materials	Salmonella Senftenberg	cereals and bakery products	undeclared peanut	cocoa and cocoa preparations, coffee and tea	undeclared hazelnut
Ireland	dietetic foods, food supp., fortified foods	unauthorised substance 1,3 dimethylamylamine	food contact materials	migration of primary aromatic amines	poultry meat and poultry meat products	unauthorised substance clopidol	food contact materials	migration of DEHP - di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate	prepared dishes and snacks	high content of aluminium
Italy	food contact materials	migration of chromium	fish and fish products	mercury	food contact materials	migration of manganese	food contact materials	migration of nickel	fish and fish products	parasitic infestation with Anisakis
Latvia	dietetic foods, food supp., fortified foods	unauthorised irradiation	dietetic foods, food supp., fortified foods	benzethonium chloride	food contact materials	migration of formaldehyde	non-alcoholic beverages	unauthorised use of colour E 127 - erythrosine	dietetic foods, food supp., fortified foods	irradiation in an unauthorised facility
Lithuania	dietetic foods, food supp., fortified foods	irradiation in an unauthorised facility	dietetic foods, food supp., fortified foods	unauthorised irradiation	dietetic foods, food supp., fortified foods	high content of lead	fats and oils	benzo(a)pyrene	nuts, nut products and seeds	aflatoxins
Luxembourg	food contact materials	migration of formaldehyde	food contact materials	migration of melamine	dietetic foods, food supp., fortified foods	unauthorised substance sibutramine	non-alcoholic beverages	E 210 - benzoic acid unauthorised	other food product / mixed	ochratoxin A
Malta	fish and fish products	mercury	fruits and vegetables	aflatoxins	food contact materials	improper health certificate(s)	fish & fish products	histamine	crustaceans and products thereof	too high content of sulphite
The Netherlands	nuts, nut products and seeds	aflatoxins	feed materials	aflatoxins	fruits and vegetables	methomyl	herbs and spices	Salmonella spp.	food contact materials	migration of formaldehyde
Poland	nuts, nut products and seeds	infested with mites	food contact materials	migration of lead	nuts, nut products and seeds	living and dead mites	dietetic foods, food supp., fortified foods	unauthorised substance 1,3 dimethylamylamine	food contact materials	migration of cadmium
Portugal	food contact materials	migration of epoxidised soybean oil (ESBO)	other food product / mixed	high content of aluminium	cereals and bakery products	unauthorised genetically modified	poultry meat and poultry meat products	unauthorised substance clopidol	dietetic foods, food supp., fortified foods	unauthorised novel food
Romania	fruits and vegetables	imazalil	fish and fish products	parasitic infestation with Anisakis	nuts, nut products and seeds	aflatoxins	dietetic foods, food supp., fortified foods	absence of health certificate(s)	dietetic foods, food supp., fortified foods	attempt to illegally import
Slovakia	fruits and vegetables	unauthorised food additive formic acid	honey and royal jelly	sulfamethoxazole unauthorised	nuts, nut products and seeds	unsuitable organoleptic characteristics	herbs and spices	undeclared celery	cereals and bakery products	E 210 - benzoic acid unauthorised
Slovenia	dietetic foods, food supp., fortified foods	unauthorised substance sibutramine	fruits and vegetables	dimethoate	cereals and bakery products	undeclared milk ingredient	confectionery	undeclared milk ingredient	food contact materials	migration of chromium
Spain	fish and fish products	poor temp control - rupture of the cold chain -	nuts, nut products and seeds	aflatoxins	crustaceans and products thereof	poor temperature control - rupture of the cold chain -	cephalopods and products thereof	poor temperature control - rupture of the cold chain -	dietetic foods, food supp, fortified foods	unauthorised substance 1,3 dimethylamylamine
Sweden	meat and meat products (other than poultry)	Salmonella	meat and meat products (other than poultry)	Salmonella typhimurium	meat and meat products (other than poultry)	Salmonella spp.	dietetic foods, food supp., fortified foods	unauthorised substance 1,3 dimethylamylamine	feed materials	Salmonella Mbandaka
UK	feed materials	aflatoxins	fruits and vegetables	Salmonella spp.	nuts, nut products & seeds	aflatoxins	fruits and vegetables	monocrotophos	fruits and vegetables	acephate

General reference: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-13-524_en.htm?locale=en

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