China — Fish and Fish Products
China received 11 RASFF border-rejection notifications in Fish and Fish Products between 2023-Q4 and 2026-Q3. Volume is rising year-on-year. The most-cited issues are fish DNA presence, histamine, and cadmium. The list below gives each of these 20 rejections by date and RASFF reference, with the country that notified it and the hazard found; 4 carry the laboratory result and 12 say what happened to the consignment.
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Key figures
If you import fish and fish products from China
- Chance a consignment is opened at the EU border
- Not on the EU's increased-checks list, so only member states' routine, risk-based checks apply (rates not published).
- If it is rejected
- Held, final fate not recorded 45%; re-dispatched 27%; re-dispatched or destroyed 18%; destroyed 9%. A re-dispatched lot can be sold elsewhere, a treated or sorted one can be released once it complies, and a destroyed one is lost.
- Where rejections happen
- Spain (4), Poland (3), Italy (2), of 11 border rejections in the last 3 years.
- Riskiest months
- August, February, May, by rejections since 2020.
- Test for before shipping
- fish dna presence (1), histamine (1).
The EU does not publish how many consignments are shipped, so no page can state a true probability of rejection; these are the figures that are published.
Quarterly rejections, last 12 quarters
Show the numbers
| Quarter | Notifications |
|---|---|
| 2023-Q4 | 0 |
| 2024-Q1 | 1 |
| 2024-Q2 | 0 |
| 2024-Q3 | 1 |
| 2024-Q4 | 1 |
| 2025-Q1 | 1 |
| 2025-Q2 | 1 |
| 2025-Q3 | 1 |
| 2025-Q4 | 1 |
| 2026-Q1 | 2 |
| 2026-Q2 | 1 |
| 2026-Q3 | 1 |
By commodity, last 156 weeks
| Commodity | Rejections | 1 rejection per | Per $1B EU imports | Most-cited hazard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other Fish/Seafood | 5 | — | — | fish DNA presence |
| Tuna | 2 | — | — | histamine |
| Salmon | 2 | — | — | — |
| Other | 2 | — | — | — |
| Squid & Octopus | 0 | — | — | — |
"1 rejection per X t": tonnes of the same product imported for every one, over the same 156 weeks. A dash means fewer than 5 in the window, or under 1,000 t a year imported, too few to rate; the total row pools every product that has import tonnes on record.
Recent rejections
- 2026.7965 Poor temperature control in frozen tuna from China // Ruptura de la cadena de frío en atunes congelados de China Notified by Spain.
- 2026.5371 Difference fish specie declaration in label in surimi from China Notified by Italy. Result detection of a different fish species than that declared. fish DNA presence
- 2026.2544 Lacking of proper Health Certificate for Salmon burger from China Notified by Norway. Reached the market, destroyed.
- 2026.0990 pasożyty w mrożonych płatach z makreli z Chin///parasites in frozen mackerel flakes from China Notified by Poland. Re-dispatched.
- 2025.10216 cold chain break for Alaska Fillets from China Notified by Italy. Re-dispatched.
- 2025.6472 histamina en melva de China// histamin in tuna from China Notified by Spain. Result 138 ± 27 mg/kg; 161 ± 31 mg/kg; 212 ± 41 mg/kg; 183 ± 36 mg/kg ; 152 ± 30 mg/kg; 250 ± 49… histamine
- 2025.4057 Obecność widocznych pasożytów w mrożonych płatach z makreli (Scomber japonicus)///Presence of visible parasites in frozen mackerel (Scomber japonicus) flaps Notified by Poland. Re-dispatched or destroyed.
- 2025.1070 Insufficient traceability/unauthorized transport of frozen fish from China Notified by Germany. Re-dispatched or destroyed.
- 2024.7748 Rotura de cadena de frío. Merluza. China. / Break in the cold chain. Hake. China. Notified by Spain.
- 2024.6517 Ruptura de la cadena de frío en pescado de China. Cold chain break in fish from China. Notified by Spain.
- 2024.1579 Presence of parasites from the Anisakidae family in frozen pieces of salmon from China Notified by Poland. Re-dispatched.
- 2023.4457 Cadmium in fish (cephalopods). Notified by Netherlands. Result 2.0 (limit 1.0 mg/kg - ppm). cadmium
- 2022.5491 Ausencia de garantías de certificación en atún congelado de China -Improper health certificate in frozen tuna from China Notified by Spain.
- 2022.5018 Humpback salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) transported by unauthorized reefer vessel Notified by Germany. Re-dispatched or destroyed.
- 2022.5017 Humpback salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) transported by unauthorized reefer vessel Notified by Germany. Re-dispatched or destroyed.
- 2022.5011 Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) transported in a non-approved reefer vessel Notified by Germany. Re-dispatched or destroyed.
- 2022.4871 Absence of health certificate(s) for frozen mackerel (Scomber japonicus) from China Notified by Poland. Re-dispatched or destroyed.
- 2021.6481 unauthorised operator for egg ingredient in surimi from China Notified by Spain.
- 2021.6358 Non-authorised use of sodium carbonate (E 500) and spoilage of squid from China Notified by Germany. Destroyed. Result 1243,6. E 500 - sodium carbonates
- 2021.4134 Poor temperature control of frozen Atheresthes stomias from China Notified by Spain. Destroyed.
Found on the EU market: alerts and information notifications
Besides border rejections, 33 notifications since 2020 concerned fish and fish products from China found after entering the EU — 9 alerts, 24 information notifications. They are not part of the rejection figures or rates above, which measure border controls.
How they were found: at the EU border 55%, official control on the market 18%, company's own check 15%, consumer complaint or illness 12%. 2 led to a recall from consumers.
Show the numbers
| Year | Total | Alerts | Information notifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 2021 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 2022 | 6 | 2 | 4 |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 2024 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| 2025 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| 2026 to date | 7 | 4 | 3 |
- 2026.9320 alertUnauthorised substance crystal violet in frozen fillets of fish from China Notified by Slovenia. At the EU border, reached the market. Result 0.71 (limit 0 µg/kg - ppb). crystal violet
- 2026.8502 alertUnauthorised substance crystal violet in frozen fillets of fish from China Notified by Slovenia. At the EU border, reached the market. Result 10,34. crystal violet
- 2026.6753 alertListeria monocytogenes in Squid Salad from China Notified by Germany. Company's own check, reached the market. Result Listeria monocytogenes positiv. Listeria
- 2026.6501 alertCrystal violet in frozen fillets of fish from China Notified by Slovenia. At the EU border, reached the market. Result 1,46. crystal violet
- 2026.5625 info: follow-upConsignment fish gelatin skipped veterinary border control Notified by Netherlands. At the EU border, reached the market.
- 2026.4678 info: attentionVerifica di specie non favorevole in surimi origine Cina/Verification of unfavorable species in surimi originating in China Notified by Italy. At the EU border, reached the market.
- 2026.2078 info: follow-upLack of import controls on caviar from China, via Italy Notified by Germany. Official control on the market, reached the market.
- 2025.9665 alertHistamine in Mahi Mahi fillets from China Notified by Netherlands. Company's own check, reached the market, re-dispatched or destroyed. Result 379 (limit 200 mg/kg - ppm). histamine
- 2025.7388 alertForeign body (metal fragment) in crayfish tails from China Notified by Germany. Company's own check, reached the market.
- 2025.1959 info: follow-upMonkfish with cyst from China via Austria Notified by Austria. Official control on the market, reached the market. Result detected. microsporidia
Data and downloads
Download all 69 entries (CSV) — every notification behind this page, border rejections and those found on the market, with how each was found and what was done.
The file holds entries up to 2026-10-20. To get new ones for China by email, watch China.
China country report since 2020 — all notification types, not just border rejections →