EU governments reported a fifth more food safety scares last year than in 2004, warning consumers about eating items ranging from shellfish and coffee to fruit, herbs and spices, the EU executive said on Friday.
Most national food alerts filed to the EU's warning system during 2005 related to products originating in the EU. The electronic system, administered by the European Commission's food safety unit and known as the Rapid Alert system, allows other EU countries to identify risks to the food and feed chain within the shortest space of time possible. Fish, crustaceans and molluscs topped the list of "risk" products at 20 percent of alerts last year, then meat, game and poultry at 18 percent, and herbs and spices at 11 percent.
National food alerts and the less health-threatening category of notification, where other EU countries do no need to take immediate action, rose by a combined 22 percent from 2004.
The Commission suggested a number of reasons for the rise in alerts and notifications: more pro-active reporting, improved in the EU's newest member countries and an increase in food imports due to enlargement, which means more border controls. Italy and Germany filed the highest numbers of food alerts and notifications of the EU-25 through the system last year.
Among the main hazards notified by national authorities were the presence of mycotoxins, harmful micro-organisms such as salmonella and e-coli, and illegal substances like Sudan dyes.