Food Imports solve all the problems for the UK...

[Chris F]

As long as you really aren't bothered about the quality of what you eat apparently. I was recently pointed towards the RASFF site where European problems about imported food are highlighted. Do we have a UK version of this?

It makes quite some reading on literally a daily basis. Here is just a selection from the "serious" cases last week:

fruits and vegetables	food	Cadmium in spinach from Poland, raw material from Germany
poultry meat and poultry meat products	food	Salmonella in chicken meat preparation
crustaceans and products thereof	food	Detection of vibrio in shrimp from venezuela
fats and oils	food	3-MCPD in sunflower oil
dietetic foods, food supplements and fortified foods	food	Ethylene oxide in food supplement Neem Herbal Capsule from India
dietetic foods, food supplements and fortified foods	food	Mercury in organic chlorella tablets from China
cereals and bakery products	food	possible presence of metal wires in waffles from Belgium
nuts, nut products and seeds	food	SALMONELLA IN SESAME SEEDS FROM NIGERIA
confectionery	food	Salmonella in tahini halva with pistacia from Turkey
nuts, nut products and seeds	food	Aflatoxin in nut cracker snacks from India
nuts, nut products and seeds	food	Salmonella in sesame seeds from Turkey
fruits and vegetables	food	Fosthiazate in potatoes from Belgium
poultry meat and poultry meat products	food	Foreign bodies (plastic fragments) in frozen poultry meatballs from Sweden
cereals and bakery products	food	sesame, soya and lupin undeclared on pastry products and biscuits from Belgium
fruits and vegetables	food	salmonella in betel leaves
fruits and vegetables	food	alto contenuto di Ocratossina A in fichi secchi biologici origine Turchia/High content of Ochratoxin A in organic dried figs from Turkey
fruits and vegetables	food	Pesticides residues in aubergines from Burundi
crustaceans and products thereof	food	Suspicion of salmonella in crayfish from China
prepared dishes and snacks	food	Metal object in dried rice crackers from Indonesia
eggs and egg products	food	Salmonella in pasteurized egg white from France
meat and meat products (other than poultry)	food	Listeria monocytogenes (180 CFU/g) in chilled beef snout salad from Germany
poultry meat and poultry meat products	food	Salmonella Typhimurium in turkey neck skin
nuts, nut products and seeds	food	Aflatossine B1 e totale oltre i limiti consentiti in Pistacchio in guscio da Iran//Aflatoxins B1 and total over the limits allowed in Pistachio in shell from Iran
bivalve molluscs and products thereof	food	food poisoning after eating oysters
meat and meat products (other than poultry)	food	Salmonella spp. in pork crackling meal from Italy
fruits and vegetables	food	STEC in Spinach and arugula from the Netherlands
cereals and bakery products	food	3-monochlor-1,2-propanediol (3-MCPD) (4.85 mg/kg - ppm) in chocolate chip cookies from the United States
crustaceans and products thereof	food	Detection of vibrio vulnificus in frozen raw shrimps
nuts, nut products and seeds	food	Aflatoxins in peanuts in shell from Egypt
nuts, nut products and seeds	food	SALMONELLA IN SESAME SEEDS FROM NIGERIA
nuts, nut products and seeds	food	SALMONELLA IN SESAME SEEDS FROM NIGERIA
nuts, nut products and seeds	food	SALMONELLA IN SESAME SEEDS FROM NIGERIA
fish and products thereof	food	Unauthorised substances malachite green and leucomalachite green in frozen salted snake head fish from Thailand
meat and meat products (other than poultry)	food	Suspicion of enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli in salami with truffles from Italy
fruits and vegetables	food	Patulin in Apple sauce From Netherlands
poultry meat and poultry meat products	food	Salmonella spp. in salted chicken (inner)fillet from Brazil
other food product / mixed	food	Foreign body (hard plastic) in rice pudding from France
dietetic foods, food supplements and fortified foods	food	Presence of unauthorised substance tadalafil in food supplement
food contact materials	food	Unauthorised bamboo in dinner set from China
cereals and bakery products	food	thiamethoxam and unauthorised substance tricyclazole in basmati rice from India
poultry meat and poultry meat products	food	Salmonella enteritidis in chicken from Poland
cereals and bakery products	food	undeclared milk and nuts in Kellogg’s Classic Crunchy Müsli
fruits and vegetables	food	Exceeding the maximum level of mycotoxins (Ochratoxin A) in sultana raisins
confectionery	food	Salmonella spp. in tahini halva with cocoa from Türkiye
confectionery	food	Undeclared milk protein in biscuits from North Macedonia
fruits and vegetables	food	Chlorates in ecuador broccoli
herbs and spices	food	Pesticides residues in mint from Israel
nuts, nut products and seeds	food	Undeclared almonds in Spreadup choco duo Hazelnuts
meat and meat products (other than poultry)	food	STEC (stx+;eae+) in bovine carcass from Belgium
herbs and spices	food	Salmonella spp. in black pepper from Brazil
fruits and vegetables	food	Staphylococcal toxin outbreak due to consumption of canned mushrooms (boletus edulis) from Spain
meat and meat products (other than poultry)	food	Presence of E.coli STEC in bovine meat (sirloin) from Uruguay
fruits and vegetables	food	ochratoxin A in dark raisins from Uzbekistan
dietetic foods, food supplements and fortified foods	food	High content of THC in food supplement from the Netherlands

 

[capfits]

Perhaps the UK authorities are not looking for stuff as vigorously? Hopefully we are acting on the information supplied by other states if nothing else.
How long was horsemeat going through the chain again?
Perhaps more reassuring is that there is no produce from the UK listed in this instance, but that is no case for complacency.
And some bang on about Red tractor and Assurance...

 

[Lowland1]

All our crops coming into the UK are subjected to residue testing. They cannot move from the port of entry until they are cleared. Are UK crops subjected to the same level of testing. I’ll answer that myself. No they aren’t. It’s just something we accept as an exporter to the UK. The reason these things are picked up is because there’s far more testing of imports.

 

[bovrill]

All our crops coming into the UK are subjected to residue testing. They cannot move from the port of entry until they are cleared. Are UK crops subjected to the same level of testing. I’ll answer that myself. No they aren’t. It’s just something we accept as an exporter to the UK. The reason these things are picked up is because there’s far more testing of imports.

They might be liable to testing, but they certainly aren't actually tested. Most of the fruit and veg coming in now is getting reduced to 5% inspection rate for pests and diseases from non EU countries, and Horticultural Marketing, who do the pesticide residue testing can't reach their targets, which I believe is 1%.

 

[Lowland1]

They might be liable to testing, but they certainly aren't actually tested. Most of the fruit and veg coming in now is getting reduced to 5% inspection rate for pests and diseases from non EU countries, and Horticultural Marketing, who do the pesticide residue testing can't reach their targets, which I believe is 1%.

Depends on the country of origin. The type of produce and the method of shipment. Ours as air shipped will have residue testing for at least 10% of shipments all will be inspected for pests at the port of entry . Then there are customer checks and testing though not on all shipments. Our produce is easy to inspect so it gets the most testing if we were sending 100 forty foot containers of avocados then what you say might be true but for air shipped fresh produce from Kenya it’s different.

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

Perhaps the UK authorities are not looking for stuff as vigorously? Hopefully we are acting on the information supplied by other states if nothing else.
How long was horsemeat going through the chain again?
Perhaps more reassuring is that there is no produce from the UK listed in this instance, but that is no case for complacency.
And some bang on about Red tractor and Assurance...

You do realise that without our beloved farm assurance everything produced in the UK would be at least as bad as the list above and highly dangerous to the consumer.

Of course all imports are fine, it's the stuff grown here that's the problem.

Apparently.

 

[delilah]

Just further evidence that the NFU's 'produced to our standards' campaign (whatever did happen to that ?) was meaningless twaddle. Which standards, precisely ?

 

[Lowland1]

Just further evidence that the NFU's 'produced to our standards' campaign (whatever did happen to that ?) was meaningless twaddle. Which standards, precisely ?

The NFU had a protocol for salted snake head fish?

 

[wanton dwarf]

All our crops coming into the UK are subjected to residue testing. They cannot move from the port of entry until they are cleared. Are UK crops subjected to the same level of testing. I’ll answer that myself. No they aren’t. It’s just something we accept as an exporter to the UK. The reason these things are picked up is because there’s far more testing of imports.

The testing is quite frankly meaningless.

Canadian Wheat can use banned presticides as can Ukraine. I bet Kenya can use all kinds of products banned in the UK.

UK farmers wouldn't even be able to sell the produce and would be fined and probably put in prison for using those products.

The fake testing is pointless - because it shouldn't even be imported - just another box ticking exercise for the corrupt.

 

[Lowland1]

The testing is quite frankly meaningless.

Canadian Wheat can use banned presticides as can Ukraine. I bet Kenya can use all kinds of products banned in the UK.

UK farmers wouldn't even be able to sell the produce and would be fined and probably put in prison for using those products.

The fake testing is pointless - because it shouldn't even be imported - just another box ticking exercise for the corrupt.

Legally we cannot use products not cleared for use in the UK on the crops we export to the UK. If a residue of a non approved chemical is found we are banned from exporting. As the MRL for a lot of chemicals now is the limit of detection for large growers such as ourselves misuse of chemicals isn’t worth the risk. The testing I know of most certainly isn’t fake. Most countries will have their own pesticide legislation that’s specific to their country just because a chemical is not registered in the UK doesn’t necessarily mean it’s dangerous however obviously if a country is only 60% self sufficient in food production then it may say one thing and do another.

 

[wanton dwarf]

Legally we cannot use products not cleared for use in the UK on the crops we export to the UK. If a residue of a non approved chemical is found we are banned from exporting. As the MRL for a lot of chemicals now is the limit of detection for large growers such as ourselves misuse of chemicals isn’t worth the risk. The testing I know of most certainly isn’t fake. Most countries will have their own pesticide legislation that’s specific to their country just because a chemical is not registered in the UK doesn’t necessarily mean it’s dangerous however obviously if a country is only 60% self sufficient in food production then it may say one thing and do another.

All Ukraine Oilseed Rape will have banned chemicals used.

All that Oilseed Rape will have gone through EXACTLY the same tests.

In other words. Your assurances that banned chemicals are not used is false. Because they are used.

Same with Canadian Wheat.

I bet banned Chemicals are used in Kenya and many other importing countries.

In fact there are derogations in place for UK banned chemicals in the EU as well.

 

[wanton dwarf]

Emergency authorisations of neonicotinoid pesticides 2020-21

09:30-11:00 (CET) EFSA organised an online public meeting to present the assessments it carried out on the emergency authorisations for neonicotinoids that were granted by several EU Member States in 2020 and 2021. The event was composed of two sessions. The first was aimed at explaining the...

www.efsa.europa.eu

 

[Lowland1]

All Ukraine Oilseed Rape will have banned chemicals used.

All that Oilseed Rape will have gone through EXACTLY the same tests.

In other words. Your assurances that banned chemicals are not used is false. Because they are used.

I’m not in Ukraine so I have no idea what chemicals they use. Whether they use chemicals banned in the UK or not I don’t know as I stated. The Ukraine probably has different legislation to the UK. What assurance did I give about commodities such as Oilseed Rape from Ukraine. All I know of the tests and regulations I have to go through to export fresh produce from Kenya to the UK. That’s it. Does the UK import Rape from the Ukraine does it import wheat from Canada anymore I don’t know. I know it imports Green Beans from Kenya and I know the hoops I have to go through to export.

 

[steveR]

The NFU had a protocol for salted snake head fish?

I have this vision of Minette, taste testing said delicacy before an unusual Wedding breakfast at her establishment......

 

[wanton dwarf]

I’m not in Ukraine so I have no idea what chemicals they use. Whether they use chemicals banned in the UK or not I don’t know as I stated. The Ukraine probably has different legislation to the UK. What assurance did I give about commodities such as Oilseed Rape from Ukraine. All I know of the tests and regulations I have to go through to export fresh produce from Kenya to the UK. That’s it. Does the UK import Rape from the Ukraine does it import wheat from Canada anymore I don’t know. I know it imports Green Beans from Kenya and I know the hoops I have to go through to export.

If a UK farmer used a banned product on their crops they would NOT be able to sell those crops AT ALL, would be fined and probably have a jail sentance.

Imports DO use banned chemicals.

The UK imported Millions of tonnes of Ukraine Oilseed rape last year alone - grown using Neonicitinoids.

The tests are meaningless other than checking for gross contamination.

 

[Lowland1]

If a UK farmer used a banned product on their crops they would NOT be able to sell those crops AT ALL, would be fined and probably have a jail sentance.

Imports DO use banned chemicals.

The UK imported Millions of tonnes of Ukraine Oilseed rape last year alone - grown using Neonicitinoids.

The tests are meaningless other than checking for gross contamination.

Rapeseed UK imports 2023 | Statista

This statistic shows the import volume of rapeseed into the United Kingdom, from season 2015/16 to 2022/23.

www.statista.com

The most Rape the UK has imported was 965000 tonnes last year prior to that a lot less so most certainly not millions of tonnes last year

 

[capfits]

You do realise that without our beloved farm assurance everything produced in the UK would be at least as bad as the list above and highly dangerous to the consumer.

Of course all imports are fine, it's the stuff grown here that's the problem.

Apparently.

Of course I do, hence the my flippant comment concerning the many naesayers...
Assurance is the whole chain, not just when it reaches the processor.

 

[wanton dwarf]

Rapeseed UK imports 2023 | Statista

This statistic shows the import volume of rapeseed into the United Kingdom, from season 2015/16 to 2022/23.

www.statista.com

The most Rape the UK has imported was 965000 tonnes last year prior to that a lot less so most certainly not millions of tonnes last year

1 million tonnes of crops grown and imported using a chemical banned in the UK.

Looks to me as those tests are fudging useless ? Just a box ticking exercise to facilitate the destruction of UK agriculture.

 

[Lowland1]

I have this vision of Minette, taste testing said delicacy before an unusual Wedding breakfast at her establishment......

I’d be more worried about the undeclared nuts ( obviously not on this forum ) and milk in the Kellogs Classic Crunchy Musli at the wedding breakfast.

 

[capfits]

1 million tonnes of crops grown and imported using a chemical banned in the UK.

Looks to me as those tests are fudging useless ? Just a box ticking exercise to facilitate the destruction of UK agriculture.

The test will be very good.
There is clearly no Neonicitinoids residues in the imported oilseeds.

@wanton dwarf The Neonicitinoids are banned in the UK because?
(Do not confuse residues and contaminants with growing protocols and being frank I also find
non equivalence irritating)