The European Commission (EC) has included Turkish citrus fruits in the list of foods from third countries that will be subject to stricter temporary controls on entry to the European Union. This decision has been made after pesticide residues were detected in various batches of oranges, mandarins, clementines, Wilkings and hybrids from that country.
The list of products subject to stricter border inspections is reviewed every six months. Changes are made based on the latest notifications of incidents detected by the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF).
Along with the pesticide residues, the presence of salmonella, aflatoxins, dyes, rhodamine B, ochratoxin A, cyanide and sulfites are also reported as a health risk.
The intensification of official controls will also apply to the next batches of Turkish dried grapes and pomegranates, Pakistani spices, Kenyan beans, sesame seeds from Sudan and Uganda, and capsicum peppers (except sweet ones) from India and Pakistan.
The new list also includes the peanuts from Bolivia, Egypt, Ghana, Madagascar, the United States and China, black pepper from Brazil, parsley leaves from Vietnam, saffron from Ethiopia and curry leaves from India, among others.
The EC, however, has decided to reduce the controls on Serbian raspberries and canned apricots and lemons from Turkey, as "the available information points to a satisfactory degree of overall compliance with the EU's relevant safety requirements."
