Food safety and hygiene newsletter April 2025

This is an electronic newsletter updating regulations and laws on food hygiene and safety in domestic and international markets, April 2025 issue.

Update on Tiafenacil pesticide residue levels on agricultural products on 07/04/2025

After more than 6 years of implementing Decree 15/2018/ND-CP, several issues have arisen that need to be considered for amendment and supplementation to suit the practical requirements of food safety management in the context of administrative procedure reform and strengthening post-inspection measures to improve food quality, specifically:

EU

Quarter 1-2025_rapid alert system for food and feed

Q1 2025, the European Union issued 1,211 recall alerts via the RASFF (Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed) concerning products imported into the EU market. Among these, 1,104 cases were related to food products, 33 cases involved food contact packaging materials, and the remainder pertained to animal feed.

For food products, the fruit and vegetable category faced the highest number of alerts with 267 cases, followed by nuts and nut products with 150 cases, and poultry meat ranked third. The primary reasons for these alerts included excessive levels of toxins, heavy metals, pesticide residues, microbiological pathogen, and undeclared allergens,…

Detailed breakdown of the alerts:

1. Contaminants – This group recorded the highest number of alerts with approximately 289 cases:
   • The most affected products were nuts and their derivatives, primarily due to contamination with aflatoxin and ochratoxin A.
   • Heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) were frequently detected in fruits and spices.
   • Notably, several spice samples exceeded permissible levels of pyrrolizidine alkaloids, natural toxins often found in flowering herbs.
   • Excessive levels of erucic acid were found in mustard seeds originating from Russia and Belarus.
2. Microbiological Contaminants:
   • Poultry meat: 78 alerts, with over 56% linked to Salmonella, followed by Listeria monocytogenes (26%) and Campylobacter spp. (17%).
   • Seafood: 65 alerts, mainly due to Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, and Vibrio spp.
   • Bivalve mollusks: 50 alerts, primarily due to Norovirus, E. coli, and Hepatitis A virus.
   • Fruits, vegetables, and dairy products: Common pathogens included Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, and E. coli.
3. Pesticide Residues:
   • The unauthorised substance chlorpyrifos was frequently detected, particularly in fruits and vegetables. Other unapproved substances such as acephate and methamidophos were also found in this group.
   • A high detection rate of ethylene oxide (9 cases) was reported, mostly in herbs and spices. This is a banned substance in the EU and subject to strict import control.
   • Acetamiprid was regularly detected at levels exceeding EU limits, predominantly in the fruits and vegetables category.
4. Allergens:
   • All allergen-related alerts were due to undeclared allergens on product labels. The most common omissions were milk, followed by nuts, gluten, sesame, eggs, soy, mustard, and celery.
   • Exporters are advised to thoroughly review their allergen control procedures and ensure proper labeling, as this is a mandatory requirement under EU labeling regulations.
5. Food Additives:
   • Banned additives such as Sudan I, II, III, IV and E171- titanium dioxide were still being detected.
   • Colorants like E124 – Ponceau 4R and E110 – Sunset Yellow were found in excess of permitted limits.
   • Preservatives, notably sulfur dioxide, were found at levels above regulatory thresholds and in some cases, not declared on labels.
6. Antibiotics:
   • There were 6 cases of import rejections, 3 monitoring alerts, 3 warnings, and 1 note, all related to antibiotic contamination in imported food products.
   • Prohibited substances such as nitrofuran, malachite green, and leucomalachite green were still present in seafood products.
   • Residues of antibiotics like oxytetracycline were found at levels above permitted limits.
7. Novel Foods:

Several ingredients not yet approved by the EU were detected, mainly in dietary supplements and functional foods. A few cases involved mixed products and cocoa-based items.

8. Foreign Matter:

Numerous recalls were linked to contamination with foreign materials such as metal, plastic, glass, and wood.

9. Food Recall Alerts Originating from Vietnam:

Source: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/screen/search

Canada

Proposed Maximum Residue Limit PMRL2025-06, Metaldehyde

On 27 March 2025, the Pest Control Products Act, Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) is proposing acceptability of the requested application to add Metaldehyde to Bushberries.

Metaldehyde is a chemical compound commonly used as a pesticide, particularly for controlling slugs and snails in agricultural settings. Over the years, there have been significant changes in the regulation and usage of Metaldehyde due to environmental concerns and health risks.

The evaluation of this metaldehyde application indicated that the end-use product has value, and the human health and environmental risks associated with the new use are acceptable. Dietary risks from the consumption of the food were shown to be acceptable when metaldehyde is used according to the supported label directions. Therefore, food containing residues resulting from this use are safe to eat, and an MRL is being proposed as a result of this assessment.

Following the review of all available data, the MRL proposed is recommended, in order to cover residues of metaldehyde. Dietary risks from exposure to residues of metaldehyde in these crop commodities at the proposed MRL were shown to be acceptable for the general population. Specifically:

Health Canada invites the public to submit written comments on the proposed MRL for metaldehyde up to 75 days from the date of publication of this document (by 10 June 2025).

Comments received will be addressed in a response to comments document found in Pesticides and pest management consultations.

The established MRL will be legally in effect as of the date that it is entered into the Maximum Residue Limit Database.

Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/consumer-product-safety/pesticides-pest-management/public/consultations/proposed-maximum-residue-limit/2025/metaldehyde/document.html#t1

Brazil

Announced Amendments Pesticide Residue Limits in Foods 26/03/2025

On March 26, 2025, The board of Directors of the National Health Surveillance Agency announced amendments Pesticide Residue Limits in Foods. Specifically:

Effective date: 28/03/2025

For details see attached link

Read more related news

• Update on the latest changes and regulations in the EU market
• How worried should you be about Aspartame?
• Update valid regulations from 2023
• Sesame allergen labeling required in the US market
• Update on food nutrition labeling regulations 2022
• Latest updates on Ethylene Oxide regulations in the EU market
• Mineral oil (MOSH/MOAH) contamination in Food
• Analysis Furan and Alkylfurans residues in food

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