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The General Directorate of Food and Veterinary Medicine (DGAV) warned today that batches of sesame seeds from India have been identified with “very high” levels of ethylene oxide, which constitutes a “serious risk” to health.
“They were identified in September 2020 and notified through the rapid alert system for food and feed […] very high levels of ethylene oxide with respect to certain batches of sesame seeds originating or consigned in India and which entered the European Union ”, reads an alert from the DGAV.
The levels identified are one thousand times higher than the applicable maximum residue limit, therefore they constitute a “serious risk”, since ethylene oxide is classified as a “category 1B mutagen, category 1B carcinogen and category toxic for reproduction 1 B”. ”.
In this sense, the DGAV highlighted that economic operators that carry out or have carried out self-control of sesame (sesame) shipments from India should send the results of these to [email protected] and [email protected].
Depending on the result, this general direction will indicate the possible actions to be carried out.
“In all cases of non-compliance, they must be destroyed and cannot be used for dilution or transformation for human or animal consumption,” he said.
In turn, importers “must take care” that the seeds they intend to import comply with the conditions established in the European regulations on the risk of contamination by pesticide residues.
Therefore, they must be accompanied by an analytical bulletin and an official certificate certifying that the products have been subjected to sampling and analysis.
Shipments must be presented at border control posts.
The DGAV is a central service of the direct administration of the State, with administrative autonomy.
