The EU has tightened controls on arachidonic acid oil imports from China, the source of the ingredient linked to cereulide toxin contamination in infant formula.
In what the European Commission described as a “reinforcement” of controls, the measures have been imposed after the presence of arachidonic acid oil sparked a global recall among major baby powder manufacturers, including Nestlé, Danone and Lactalis.
From tomorrow (26 February), imports of the oil from China will face “special” entry conditions into the EU.
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“Every consignment of arachidonic acid oil originating in China will have to be presented at border control posts (BCP) of the member states, where they will be subject to documentary checks and – at a 50% frequency – to physical and identity checks,” the Commission said in a statement.
All shipments of the oil from China will also have to be accompanied by laboratory tests and an official certificate, based on sampling and analysis, to confirm there is no presence of the cereulide toxin.
The Commission has called on all EU states to implement the measures.
Just Food asked the Commission to confirm what border controls, inspections and quality assurance checks were in place before the recent recalls linked to cereulide, which is connected with the Bacillus cereus bacterium.
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By GlobalDataA response from a Commission official stated: “Since contamination generally has a negative impact on the quality of food and may imply a risk to human health, the EU has taken measures to minimise contaminants in foodstuffs.
“By default, the contaminant should not be in the food, and this includes the case of the infant formula. The Commission recalls the responsibility of the food operators in making sure that safe products are put on the shelves and to swiftly remove potentially contaminated products.”
This publication has requested further clarification as to whether prior to the recalls it was the responsibility of the ingredient exporter to ensure the safety of their products rather than any EU import checks at the borders.
And/or if the onus was on the infant-formula manufacturers to carry out their own safety checks. The Commission has not yet responded.
The recalls were kicked off in December by Nestlé and spilled over into the new year as Danone, Lactalis and smaller producers pulled products. The toxin is linked to vomiting, cramps and diarrhoea in infants.
Since then, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has lowered the permissible toxin amount allowed in baby powders.
On 2 February, EFSA set a cereulide threshold of 0.014 µg/kg body weight in response to a Commission-requested rapid risk assessment.
Meanwhile, Nestlé, Lactalis and Danone, along with smaller producers Babybio and La Marque en Moins, are under investigation by the Paris prosecutor’s office.
