Brussels, 25/07/2008 (Agence Europe) - In 2007 there were a record number of notifications sent to the EU's Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) -7,354 altogether- indicating that this tool which ensures the safety of food for Europeans is functioning well. Through RASFF the Member States and the European Commission share information about the detection of risks to human health in the food and feed chain. Thanks to RASFF, many food safety risks were averted before they could harm consumers. EU Health Commissioner, Androulla Vassiliou, welcomed the way the efforts to ensure a high level of food safety for EU citizens were paying off.
According to the 2007 RASFF annual report published on 23 July, 961 alerts (sent when the food or feed presenting the risk is already on the market and immediate action is required) and 2015 information notifications (sent when a risk has been identified but immediate action by other Member States is not necessary as the product has not reached their market) were received in 2007, giving rise to 4339 additional information notifications, up 13.5% on 2006.
In 2007, 65% of alert notifications related to products originating in the EU. Among the risks most reported through these alerts were the presence of potentially pathogenic micro-organisms, foreign bodies (such as glass fragments in yoghurt), heavy metals (such as mercury in fish) and mycotoxins. Most information notifications (73%) were on products originating in non-EU countries. In more than four out of every ten cases in 2007, RASFF was notified about risky products that were rejected at the EU border. (A.N. /transl. fl)