We analyzed the European Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) entries between 2015 and 2018 at country level.
What is very noticeable is that some countries’ authorities seem to be more active than others when it comes to food safety testing and compliance.
Between 2015 and 2018, Italy filed between 400 and 530 reports per year, more than any of the other three countries we discuss in this post. And while there is no clear trend in the number of reports over time, the number has steadily increased in the case of Germany and Spain. Germany’s reports went up by more than 50% between 2015 and 2018, and about 45% in Spain.
Looking at the top hazard at country level, in 2016, it was aflatoxin in Germany and Spain, mercury in Italy, and salmonella in France. In 2018, this shifted to aflatoxins being the number one hazard in Italy and Spain, while salmonella being the top hazard in German and France.
In terms of notified products, nuts and seeds topped the list in Germany in 2016, while fish and fish products topped the lists of France, Italy and Spain.
What became clear when we analyzed the full list of entries in all European member as well as some associated countries was that the food safety risks constantly shift and it is important to stay updated with what the upcoming risks might be.
