The European Union carries out ongoing monitoring of all foods circulating within its common territory and pays special attention to those coming from third countries entering the EU. To manage the control of these foods, it relies not only on the general regulation on official food control (Regulation (EU) 625/2017) but also has specific regulations through Regulation (EU) 2019/1793 for non-animal origin foods and feeds from third countries.
This legislation is updated every six months based on the products, countries, and hazards involved. Each update involves a case-by-case evaluation based on the combination of origin, commodity, and risk, also considering factors such as seasonal patterns, trends, and volumes of transactions.
Those wishing to obtain further information about the functioning of this mechanism can do so through the Commission Communication on information related to risks and non-compliance in the context of the periodic reviews of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1793.
The latest update published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 17 January (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/286) introduces a series of novelties that we summarize in this table:
| Product | Country | Danger | Action taken |
| Composite foods | General | Aflatoxins | Enhanced, reduced controls |
| Egyptian beans (Lablab purpureus) | Bangladesh | Pesticide residues | Increased controls |
| Grape leaves | Egypt | Pesticide residues | Increased controls |
| Spearmint (Mentha) | Israel | Pesticide residues | Enhanced, reduced controls |
| Guar gum | India | Pentachlorophenol and dioxins | Enhanced, reduced controls |
| Dietary supplements with botanical substances | South Korea | Ethylene oxide | Improvement, removed from Annex I |
| Instant noodles and instant noodles with spices/seasonings or sauces | South Korea | Ethylene oxide | Improvement, reduced controls |
| Asparagus beans (Vigna unguiculata ssp. Sesquipedalis, Vigna unguiculata ssp. Unguiculata) | Sri Lanka | Pesticide residues | Increased controls |
| Yardlong beans (Vigna unguiculata) | Madagascar | Pesticide residues | Increased controls |
| Rice | Pakistan | Pesticide residues | Increased controls |
| Granadilla and passion fruit (Passiflora ligularis and Passiflora edulis) | Thailand | Pesticide residues | Increased controls |
| Cumin seeds | Turkey | Pyrrolizidine alkaloids | Increased controls |
| Peppers of the genus Capsicum (except sweet peppers) | Uganda | Aflatoxins | Improvement, removed from Annex I |
| Peppers of the genus Capsicum (except sweet peppers) | India | Pesticide residues | Increased controls |
| Sesame seeds | India | Salmonella | Increased controls |
| Sesame seeds | India | Ethylene oxide | Improvement, reduced controls |
The latest amendment presents several noteworthy aspects. Among them is the overall improvement regarding aflatoxins, as well as the cases of India and South Korea with ethylene oxide. On the other hand, there are concerns regarding pesticide residue limits, salmonella, and pyrrolizidine alkaloids for Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Pakistan, Thailand, Turkey, and India.
If you need legal or technical advice regarding issues related to legislative aspects linked to official food control, AINIA can assist you through our team of specialists in agri-food law and our crisis management experts. You can also discuss this article in the food legislation group on LinkedIn.
