Food recalls in Finland continue to rise

Published 2021년 3월 9일

Tridge summary

In 2020, food recalls in Finland saw a significant increase for the fifth year in a row, with a total of 267 recalls compared to 200 in the previous year. This surge is primarily due to the discovery of ethylene oxide in sesame seeds imported from India, leading to 45 recalls. Excluding these recalls, there was still an 11% increase compared to the year before. The recalls were attributed to various issues such as microbiological contamination, allergens, pesticide residues, labeling errors, and unapproved novel foods. Many of these recalls were reported through the EU's Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), with a significant number being traced back to other EU countries and non-EU countries. The Finnish Food Safety Authority emphasizes that this rise in recalls does not necessarily indicate a higher risk of unsafe products, attributing it to increased consumer and regulatory vigilance, as well as improved self-monitoring by companies.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

The number of food recalls in Finland increased for the fifth year in a row in 2020. According to data collected by the Finnish Food Authority (Ruokavirasto), food was withdrawn from the market 267 times this past year compared to 200 occasions in 2019. Microbiological contamination and ethylene oxide in sesame seeds both caused 17 percent of the total followed by allergens and pesticide residues. The total was elevated because of recalls due to ethylene oxide residues found in products that contained Indian sesame seeds. This led to 45 recalls and has continued into 2021. However, excluding these cases, withdrawals in Finland would still have increased by 11 percent compared to the previous year. Ethylene oxide contamination is an EU-wide issue causing thousands of recalls and has also spread to other products such as fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices. Pathogens, allergens and pesticides Bacteria and other microbiological problems in food caused 12.5 percent more withdrawals ...

Source: Foodsafetynews