A new alert concerning frozen strawberries from Egypt has been issued in Poland after oxamyl, a pesticide banned in the European Union, was detected in an imported batch. The notification was submitted on 27 January through the EU's Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF).
Oxamyl was withdrawn from the EU market in 2023. Its detection in imported food products triggers official RASFF notifications and increased control measures.
This is not an isolated incident. In November 2025, two banned substances, oxamyl and ametocetradin, were detected in another consignment of frozen strawberries from Egypt.
Egypt is Poland's leading supplier of frozen strawberries, accounting for more than 74% of total imports in 2025. Last year alone, 59,700 tonnes of frozen strawberries were shipped from Egypt to Poland.
At the same time, domestic strawberry production for processing has declined significantly in recent years due to low prices and limited profitability in competition with cheaper imports.
Poland's Agricultural and Food Quality Inspection Authority (IJHARS) frequently detains shipments of frozen strawberries from Egypt due to mould, spoilage, or the presence of unauthorised pesticide residues, including oxamyl.
The repeated detection of banned substances has intensified scrutiny of frozen fruit imports and raised concerns within the processing sector.
Source: www.sadyogrody.pl
