Contaminants in organic products: 26-year analysis of EU RASFF notifications

This study analyzes 26 years of European Union Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) notifications concerning mycotoxins (354 notifications), pathogenic microorganisms (311), and pesticide residues (300) in organic products from 1999 to 2024. Analysis of notification classifications revealed that mycotoxins dominated border rejections (42.94 %), pathogenic microorganisms dominated information notifications (59.49 %), and pesticide residues led alerts (55.33 %). The countries of origin most frequently associated with notifications were Turkey for mycotoxins (26.27 %), Italy for pathogenic microorganisms (20.26 %), and India for pesticide residues (37.33 %). Nuts, nut products, and seeds were the most frequently reported product categories associated with mycotoxin (35.88 %) and pesticide residue (38.00 %) notifications, while feed materials were predominant in pathogenic microorganisms (45.34 %). Peanuts (24.29 %) and figs (19.21 %) were frequently implicated in mycotoxin notifications, while sesame seeds (37.33 %) and soybeans (24.12 %) were commonly associated with pesticide residues and pathogenic microorganism notifications, respectively. Aflatoxin B1, Salmonella, and ethylene oxide were the most frequently reported mycotoxin (49.15 %), pathogenic microorganism (89.71 %), and pesticide residue (48.67 %), respectively, in RASFF notifications. A high percentage of mycotoxin (75.42 %), pathogenic microorganism (42.77 %), and pesticide residue (56.33 %) notifications were classified as serious, emphasizing the need for robust quality control measures to ensure the safety and integrity of organic products.