Food warnings from 2020 - chemically-induced hazards rank first due to the detection of ethylene oxide

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Feb 1, 2021 - Foods

Food warnings from 2020 - chemically-induced hazards rank first due to the detection of ethylene oxide

The reports on www.lebensmittelwarnung.de by the federal states and the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) provide an overview of public warnings and information related to food in Germany. The published warnings concern food that is hazardous to health, disgusting, or for other reasons not marketable.

The number of food warnings reached a comparatively high value again in 2020. By the end of the year, the BVL had issued 199 warnings. This exceeds the number of warnings from the previous year by another 16%. Most warnings in 2020 were in the product groups of confectionery (16%), meat and meat products, and milk and dairy products (12% each) (see Fig. 1 below).

 Figure 1

Chemical limit exceedances account for the largest share of complaints (37%), followed by contamination by microorganisms (31%) and the presence of foreign objects (28%) (see Fig. 2 below).

Figure 2

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