Environmental pollutants notifications in Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed

Abstract

Rapid Alarm System for Food and Feed (RASFF); is a database created by the European Commission that provides rapid information flow and response when risks to public health are identified in the food chain. Within the scope of this study, a detailed report was prepared on the notifications of environmental pollutants in foods in the Rapid Alarm System database between 2000 and 2020. All data obtained from the system were evaluated using Microsoft Office Excel 2010. When 774 notifications made in 21 years were examined, it was determined that 32% of the notifications were about “fish and fish products”, 29% about “oils and fats” and 11% about “dietetic products and food supplements”. The main problem (12% of the notifications) was determined to be “polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons”. Among all notifications, 33% of them were found to have a “serious risk” degree. The highest number of notifications (81 notifications) was detected in 2001. Additionally, 61% of the notifications were in the “alert”, 13% “information”, 11% “information for attention”, 11% “border rejection” and 4% “information follow-up” notifications. Most of the notifications (415 notifications) were created as a result of official controls in the market. Germany was the country with the highest notifications, with 178 notifications. As a result of the notifications, sanctions were generally imposed on “withdrawal of products from the market” and “withdrawal of products from the market by the manufacturer”. Considering the decrease in PAH notifications from food-related environmental pollutants over the years, it can be thought that the Rapid Alert System was effective in the decrease in the number of notifications.