Pesticide residues dominate the latest batch of changes made by the European Commission to the level of inspections on imported products.
The revised legislation sets the rate of official controls and special conditions for food and feed of non-animal origin imported into Europe. Rules are modified every six months.
Decisions are based on reports in the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) and information from documents, identity, and physical inspections by EU countries in the first part of 2024.
A requirement that each consignment of sesame seeds from Ethiopia is accompanied by an official certificate stating that all results of sampling and analysis show compliance with EU rules has been removed but identity and physical checks for Salmonella will continue at a frequency of 50 percent.
There is no change to the 20 percent frequency of controls on tahini and halva from sesame seeds from Syria or the 50 percent rate of checks on black pepper from Brazil for Salmonella.
From ethylene oxide to pesticides
The need for an official certificate stating testing compliance for turnips from Lebanon due to Rhodamine B contamination has been relaxed. Turnips prepared or preserved by vinegar, acetic acid, brine or citric acid will be inspected at a rate of 50 percent.
Checks for ethylene oxide contamination of sesame seeds from India has been reduced from 30 to 20 percent. Controls on food supplements containing botanicals have been cut from 20 to 10 percent.
Vanilla extract from the United States will continue to be controlled at a frequency of 20 percent for pesticide residues. Peanuts and peanut butter checks will stay at 20 percent for aflatoxins. Pistachios and products made from pistachios originating in the U.S. and sent to the EU from Turkey are checked for aflatoxins at a frequency of 30 percent.
Certain peppers from Sri Lanka will no longer need an official certificate with each consignment showing compliance for aflatoxins. Member states will continue to control imports at a rate of 50 percent.
Controls for pyrrolizidine alkaloids on dried oregano from Turkey have been stepped up to 30 percent of shipments. All consignments of cumin seeds from Turkey will need to be accompanied by an official certificate stating that results of sampling show compliance with EU pyrrolizidine alkaloid limits. A transitional period means that under certain conditions, these seeds may enter the EU until March 8 this year without this certificate. Shipments are also inspected at a frequency of 30 percent.
More checks will be done on zara lemons from Bangladesh, durian from Vietnam, black-eyed beans from Madagascar, okra and cumin seeds from India, and peppers from Rwanda due to pesticide residues. Increased controls have been removed for Yardlong beans from the Dominican Republic and reduced to 20 percent for oranges from Egypt.
UK checks and Swiss agreement
Temporary rates of official controls and emergency measures on some high risk food and feed of non-animal origin entering Great Britain also came into force in December 2024.
Sesame seeds and tahini and halva from sesame seeds from Turkey and Syria will be controlled for Salmonella at a rate of 10 percent. 30 percent of shipments of sesame seeds from India will be sampled for Salmonella. The rate of checks on black pepper from Brazil for Salmonella is the same as in Europe.
Enoki mushrooms from China and South Korea will be checked for Listeria at a frequency of 20 percent.
Meanwhile, the EU Commission and Switzerland have reached an agreement that will establish a Common Food Safety Area covering the supply chain. Switzerland is not a member of the European Union.
The move will replace the multiple sets of rules that currently govern bilateral agri-food flows by a single rule book and integrated control system. The aim is that Swiss and European firms will benefit from clearer and more transparent rules.
Animals, plants, food, and feed will circulate between the EU and Switzerland according to the same rules as within member states. Consignments from other countries will be subject to the same sanitary and phytosanitary checks upon arrival in Switzerland as in any other member state.
Switzerland has also been able to keep some stricter standards that were different from those of the EU. Examples are around genetically modified organisms and animal welfare. Each side will continue to develop its own agricultural policies.
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