EU Food Alert System Faces Scrutiny Over Record Notifications

A staggering finding: in 2024, no less than 5,364 notifications were issued at the borders of the European Union, a record number of food alerts never recorded since the establishment of the European RASFF (Rapid Alert System for Feed and Food) system. This is revealed in a report by the Coordenadas Institute of Governance and Applied Economics. While this institute recognizes the importance of the European RASFF system, it does not appreciate its role "in the spread of notifications often described as unjustified, even fallacious."

"These unfounded or interested alerts generate significant economic and reputational damage for the sectors and companies concerned," the institute points out, warning that the abusive exploitation of health alerts, particularly those targeting products from North Africa, "could lead to a generalized increase in prices, a reduction in imports and a decline in production, to the detriment of European consumers."

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In March 2024, the National Office of Sanitary Safety of Food Products (ONSSA) had opened an investigation and taken preventive measures following the detection of the hepatitis A virus in Moroccan strawberries imported into Spain and the triggering by the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) of a health alert. The investigations quickly invalidated the accusations.

The Coordenadas institute criticizes "the multiplication of unfounded accusations by certain organizations, in particular consumer associations, NGOs and other entities, who position themselves as guardians of food quality." The institute also warned "against nationalist discourses and biased information, recalling that foreign investments not only favor the growth of the Spanish GDP, but also the creation of local jobs, thus contributing to economic and social stability."

"As for products from North Africa, they fully meet the strictest requirements imposed by the European Union," the report points out.