Your weekly food recall & compliance tracker w21/2025
The European Union's Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) issued 105 food safety alerts during Week 21 (19–25 May 2025), highlighting systemic challenges in global supply chains. Mycotoxins dominated the alerts (25 notifications), particularly in Turkish dried fruits, while pesticide violations surged in fresh produce from Egypt, Peru, and Turkey. Turkey accounted for 12% of all alerts, primarily due to aflatoxin-contaminated figs and apricots. Fresh produce represented 21% of total recalls, with cadmium in Peruvian avocados and chlorpropham in Egyptian oranges raising urgent concerns. Nearly half (46.7%) of alerts were classified as "serious risks," requiring immediate market withdrawals.
Key insights
- 84% of alerts involved non-EU imports, underscoring gaps in third-country compliance.
- Egyptian citrus and Peruvian peppers face recurring MRL violations – a red flag for buyers
- Chinese enoki mushrooms: Listeria monocytogenes detected in shipments distributed across 9 EU countries.
- Peruvian avocados: Cadmium levels exceeded 0.1 mg/kg in the Hass variety. Soil testing initiatives are critical for growers in Andean regions.
Weekly highlights at a glance (week 21, 2025)
- Total recalls: 105 notifications, up from 80 the previous week.
- Most frequent countries of origin: 37 different countries involved, with Turkey (13), Poland (9), and France (8) topping the list.
- Top Notifying Countries: Netherlands (21), Germany (13), and France (12) were the most active in reporting.
- Risk Assessment: 46.7% of recalls were classified as serious risks, 22.9% as potentially serious, and 19% as potential risk.
- Key hazards: Mycotoxins (aflatoxins, ochratoxin A), pesticide residues, Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, heavy metals, and foreign bodies.
Fresh produce recalls
Fresh fruits and vegetables remain the most scrutinized category, accounting for over 20% of all notifications this week. Below are notable examples of affected products and their issues:
- Oranges (Egypt): Chlorpropham above legal limits
- Peaches (Egypt): Chlorpyrifos and imidacloprid residues above MRLs
- Pomelo (Vietnam): Fenobucarb and profenofos (unauthorized pesticides)
- Avocado (Peru): Cadmium contamination
- Avocado Hass (Peru): Cadmium contamination
- Dried Figs (Türkiye): Aflatoxins
- Organic Natural Dried Figs (Türkiye): Ochratoxin A
- Dried Apricots (Türkiye): Aflatoxin B1 and ochratoxin A
- Dried Tomatoes (Austria): Shards of glass
- Green Beans (Albania): Formetanate and tebufenpyrad residues
- Enoki Mushrooms (China): Listeria monocytogenes
- Fresh Peppers (Türkiye): Tebufenpyrad
- Pink Pomelo (Vietnam): Fenobucarb and profenofos
- Drumsticks (India): Multiple unauthorized pesticides (acephate, methamidophos, monocrotophos)
- Fresh Pepper (Peru): Methamidophos, dinotefuran, permethrin, chlorfenapyr, fipronil, phenthoate
- Bananas (Ecuador): Chlorpyrifos (unauthorized pesticide)
- Pickled Grape Leaves (Syria): Multiple pesticide residues
- Pear Pieces (Türkiye): Ochratoxin A
The predominance of fresh produce alerts reflects both the high volume of international trade in these commodities and their susceptibility to various contamination sources throughout the supply chain. Nuts and seeds showed particular vulnerability to aflatoxin contamination, with alerts covering products from multiple continents1.
Graph 1. Top 5 Product Categories with the Most RASFF Alerts
Actionable insights for stakeholders
- It is recommended to request mycotoxin testing certificates for dried fruits from Turkey and nuts from Argentina/USA.
- Verify cadmium levels in avocados using XRF soil analysis reports.
- Try to avoid peppers from Vietnam/Peru until pesticide compliance improves – opt for GlobalG.A.P. certified suppliers.
Key trends and interesting facts
Mycotoxin Contamination in Dried Fruits
Mycotoxins remain a persistent threat: Aflatoxin B1 and ochratoxin A were among the most frequently detected hazards, especially in dried fruits and nuts. These toxins are linked to poor post-harvest handling and storage, particularly as temperatures rise in late spring and early summer.
Turkey dominated the dried fruit alerts with multiple aflatoxin violations. Dried figs from Turkey were flagged for aflatoxin contamination in separate notifications by France and Greece, with levels exceeding EU safety standards. Dried apricots from Turkey showed dual contamination with both aflatoxin B1 (3.05±0.55 µg/kg) and ochratoxin A (7.33±1.03 µg/kg), as reported by Polish authorities. Additional alerts included pear pieces from Turkey containing ochratoxin A, demonstrating a systemic issue with mycotoxin control in Turkish dried fruit production.
This week reinforced ongoing concerns about aflatoxin contamination in global food supplies, with 25 separate notifications involving aflatoxin B1 or total aflatoxins. The problem extends beyond fresh produce to include nuts, particularly groundnuts from Argentina and the United States, as well as various processed products. Turkey's repeated appearances in mycotoxin alerts suggest systemic issues requiring enhanced agricultural practices and processing controls.
Pesticide Residue Violations
Pesticide contamination alerts revealed widespread non-compliance with EU maximum residue limits across multiple countries. Fresh peppers from Turkey contained tebufenpyrad above permitted levels, while fresh peppers from Peru showed multiple violations, including methamidophos, dinotefuran, and permethrin, all unauthorized substances in the EU. Peaches from Egypt exceeded limits for both chlorpyrifos and imidacloprid, two pesticides with restricted use due to environmental and health concerns. Bananas from Ecuador contained unauthorized chlorpyrifos residues, and oranges from Egypt showed chlorpropham contamination.
Heavy Metal Contamination
Peru emerged as a significant source of heavy metal contamination in avocados, with two separate alerts for cadmium levels exceeding EU standards in the Hass variety. This pattern suggests potential soil contamination issues in Peruvian growing regions requiring the attention of agricultural authorities.
- Microbial contamination: Listeria monocytogenes was detected in enoki mushrooms from China and ready-to-eat salads from France. Salmonella was also reported in several meat and poultry products.
- Foreign body contamination: Incidents included shards of glass in dried tomatoes and foreign bodies in sauces and condiments.
- Geographic patterns: The vast majority (84%) of alerts related to products originating from outside the EU, with Türkiye, Egypt, and the United States among the top sources. This reflects ongoing challenges in controlling risks associated with imported food products.
Top Countries of Origin
Turkey's dominance in the alert statistics primarily stems from mycotoxin contamination in dried fruits and nuts, suggesting climate or storage conditions that favor fungal growth1. Poland's alerts concentrated on bacterial contamination in meat products, indicating potential processing or cold chain management issues.
Graph 2. Top 5 Countries with the Most RASFF Alerts
