Product categories and hazard categories in the RASFF notifications: dependences between chosen variables
Main Article Content
Keywords
alert notifications, information notifications, border rejections, cluster analysis, scatterplots
Abstract
The paper examined if there was any dependence between product and hazard categories in the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed notifications in 2008-2015 using the cluster analysis. It also analysed which the dependences between particular product and hazard categories took into consideration the type of notifications and also other variables, i.e. year, notifying country, notification basis, risk decision, distribution status and action taken using scatterplots. It was noticed that the notifications were most frequently related to: pathogenic micro-organisms in meat and meat products (other than poultry), poultry meat and poultry meat products and heavy metals in fish and fish products (for alert notifications), pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables (for information notifications) and mycotoxins in nuts, nut products and seeds and pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables (for border rejections, which were almost half of the notifications). However, these categories were not always most frequently notified and also there were some changes in the number of notifications each year. Six countries were particularly active in notifying: Germany, Italy, Netherlands and the United Kingdom and also France and Spain. The notification basis were mainly official controls on the market for alert notifications and information notifications or border control (consignment detained) for border rejections. The risk was usually undecided or serious for alert notifications and undecided for information notifications and border rejections. The action taken was withdrawal from the market for alert and information notifications or re-dispatch and destruction for border rejections. The trends in the number of notifications can be helpful in the legislative process and planning controls and audits. Consumer attention should be to a greater extent paid to products manufactured in Europe. Further research should concern detailed identification of hazards in particular product categories, including type of notifications and also product origin, if possible
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