In the first few months of 2023, the number of food and beverage recalls in Europe went up. According to data from Sedgwick brand protection’s latest European product recall report, a 2.9 percent increase in food and beverage recalls, up to 1,154 in Q1 2023, from January to March was recorded.
In fact, this means the figure is above the 5-year quarterly average of 1,034 recalls. Recalls for specific unauthorized ingredients increased. For example, products containing cannabidiol (CBD), an active ingredient in cannabis, rose from 11 in Q4 2022 to 24 in Q1 2023.
Non-bacterial contamination was the leading cause of European food recalls, with 486. The most common contaminant was aflatoxins, which were linked to 89 recalls this quarter. This represents an increase from 73 recalls in Q4. Second was chlorpyrifos, which was cited 62 times. Third was pesticides with 30 recalls.
Bacterial contamination was second with 233 recalls followed by undeclared allergens and foreign bodies, both responsible for under 100 recalls. Of recalls for bacterial contamination, 175 were for Salmonella, 29 for Listeria, and five were for both pathogens.
Fruits and vegetables remained the product category with the most recalls with 187 in Q1 2023. It has been the leading category for nine consecutive quarters. Nuts, nut products, and seeds were the second-most impacted category with 126 recalls, slightly higher than 116 last quarter.
Source: foodsafetynews.com