Egypt — Herbs and Spices

Egypt received 8 RASFF border-rejection notifications in Herbs and Spices between 2023-Q3 and 2026-Q2. Volume is falling year-on-year. The most-cited issues are chlorpyrifos, Salmonella spp, and propiconazole. The list below gives each of these 18 rejections by date and RASFF reference, with the country that notified it and the hazard found; 17 carry the laboratory result and 6 say what happened to the consignment.

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Key figures

If you import herbs and spices from Egypt

Chance a consignment is opened at the EU border: 30% of consignments get identity and physical checks for aflatoxins (Reg. (EU) 2019/1793).
If it is rejected: Destroyed 33%; held, final fate not recorded 33%; re-dispatched 17%; re-dispatched or destroyed 17%. 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 (3), Poland (2), France (1), of 6 border rejections in the last 3 years.
Riskiest months: January, February, April, by rejections since 2020.
Test for before shipping: salmonella (3), chlorpyrifos (2), propiconazole (2).

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-Q3	2
2023-Q4	0
2024-Q1	2
2024-Q2	1
2024-Q3	0
2024-Q4	0
2025-Q1	2
2025-Q2	0
2025-Q3	0
2025-Q4	0
2026-Q1	0
2026-Q2	1

Recent rejections

2026.3644 2026-04-27 stwierdzenie chloropiryfosu w majeranku suszonym ////Chlorpyrifos detected in dried marjoram, country of origin: Egypt Notified by Poland. Re-dispatched or destroyed. Result 0,236. chlorpyrifos
2025.1985 2025-03-19 Chlorpyrifos and propiconazole in marjoram from Egypt Notified by Poland. Re-dispatched. Result 0,15 ± 0,08 (limit 0,01 mg/kg - ppm). chlorpyrifospropiconazole
2025.1117 2025-02-18 Propiconazole in peppers from Egypt Notified by France. Destroyed. Result 0.070±0.035 (limit 0,010 mg/kg - ppm). propiconazole
2024.2759 2024-04-08 Presencia de Salmonella spp en albahaca de Egipto. Presence of Salmonella spp in basil from Egypt. Notified by Spain. Destroyed. Result Detectado (limit Ausencia /25g). Salmonella spp
2024.1087 2024-02-16 Presencia de Salmonella spp en menta deshidratada de Egipto. Occurrence of Salmonella spp in dried mint from Egypt. Notified by Spain. Result DETECTADO (limit DETECTADO /25g). Salmonella spp
2024.0566 2024-01-25 Presencia de salmonella en perejil de Egipto. Presence of salmonella in parsley from Egypt. Notified by Spain. Result Detectado (limit No detectado /25g). Salmonella
2023.5202 2023-08-01 Salmonella en perejil de Egipto. Salmonella in parsley from Egypt Notified by Spain. Result DETECTADO (limit AUSENCIA /25g). Salmonella
2023.4946 2023-07-24 Residues of the anauthorised pesticide Chlorpyrifos in Fennel Seeds (Powder) from Egypt Notified by Cyprus. Result 0.12 ± 0.060 (limit 0.01 mg/kg - ppm). chlorpyrifos
2023.3968 2023-06-13 Salmonella spp. en perejil de Egipto. Salmonella spp. in parsley from Egypt. Notified by Spain. Result PRESENCIA (limit AUSENCIA /25g). Salmonella
2023.1111 2023-02-16 Salmonella spp. and benzoapiren in dried dill from Egypt Notified by Poland. Destroyed. Result 83,4±22,1 (limit 50 µg/kg - ppb). Salmonella spp.benzo(a)pyrene
2023.0639 2023-01-27 multiresidues of pesticides in crushed chili from Egitto Notified by Italy. Re-dispatched. Result 0,19. chlorfenapyrchlorpyrifosflusilazolelambda-cyhalothrin+2 more
2023.0211 2023-01-10 Fenpropathrin in pepper from Egypt Notified by France. Result 0.14 ± 0.070 (limit 0.01 mg/kg - ppm). fenpropathrin
2023.0177 2023-01-10 Fenpropathrin in pepper from Egypt Notified by France. Result 0.15±0.080 (limit 0.010 mg/kg - ppm). fenpropathrin
2022.6125 2022-10-20 High quantity of cypermethrin in dry green mallow leaves from Egypt Notified by Cyprus. Result 2,8±1,4 (limit 0,1 mg/kg - ppm). cypermethrin
2022.3935 2022-07-06 Salmonella spp. in dried parsley from Egypt Notified by Poland. Result detected. Salmonella spp.
2021.1403 2021-04-21 unauthorised substance chlorpyrifos (0.047 mg/kg - ppm) in peppermint from Egypt Notified by Spain. Result 0.048 (limit 0.02 mg/kg - ppm). propargite
2021.1043 2021-03-15 CHEDD.ES.2021.0029606R Notified by Spain.
2020.2815 2020-07-10 Rejection CHEDD.ES.2020.0076601 Notified by Spain. Result Chamomile: 0,04 ± 0,008 mg/kg (> LQ) / Dill: 0,60 ± 0,12 mg/kg (> LQ) / Coriander:0,12 ± … chlorpyrifos

Found on the EU market: alerts and information notifications

Besides border rejections, 71 notifications since 2020 concerned herbs and spices from Egypt found after entering the EU — 43 alerts, 28 information notifications. They are not part of the rejection figures or rates above, which measure border controls.

How they were found: official control on the market 56%, company's own check 37%, monitoring or surveillance sample 4%, at the EU border 3%. 12 led to a recall from consumers.

alerts information notifications

Show the numbers

Year	Total	Alerts	Information notifications
2020	3	2	1
2021	13	11	2
2022	10	5	5
2023	13	9	4
2024	9	6	3
2025	17	8	9
2026 to date	6	2	4

2026.9433 2026-10-22 alertChlorpyrifos in fennel seed powder from Egypt Notified by Belgium. Company's own check, reached the market. Result 0,028 (limit 0,01 mg/kg - ppm). chlorpyrifos
2026.7480 2026-08-24 info: attentionChlorpyrifos in fennel seed powder from Egypt Notified by Belgium. Company's own check, reached the market, destroyed. Result 0,027 (limit 0,01 mg/kg - ppm). chlorpyrifos
2026.5939 2026-07-06 info: attentionSalmonella in thyme from Egypt Notified by Netherlands. Official control on the market, reached the market. Result Present (limit Not present /25g). Salmonella
2026.4767 2026-05-29 alertHigh levels of several pesticide residues in cumin powder from Egypt, via the Netherlands Notified by Austria. Official control on the market, reached the market, re-dispatched or destroyed. Result 1,2 ± 0,6 (limit 0,1 mg/kg - ppm). acetamipridcarbendazimchlorpyrifosclothianidin+9 more
2026.1952 2026-03-09 info: follow-upForeign body (metal wires) in marjoram from Egypt, via Germany Notified by Germany. Company's own check, reached the market.
2026.0677 2026-01-28 info: attentionIncorrect labeling of allergener in spice mix from Egypt Notified by Sweden. Official control on the market, reached the market.
2025.10469 2025-12-30 info: attentionchlorpyrifos-ethyl in fennel seeds from Egypt Notified by Italy. At the EU border. Result 0,061 +/-0,032 (limit 0.01 mg/kg - ppm). chlorpyrifos
2025.9416 2025-11-26 info: attentionMOAH in dried parsley from Egypt Notified by Netherlands. Company's own check, re-dispatched. Result 17,7 (limit 0,5 mg/kg - ppm). mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH)
2025.9133 2025-11-19 info: attentionSalmonella Sinstorf in thyme from Egypt Notified by Poland. Official control on the market, reached the market. Salmonella
2025.7457 2025-09-29 alertSustancia no autorizada clorpirifós-etil en manzanilla procedente de Egipto // Unauthorised substance chlorpyrifos-ethyl in camomile from Egypt Notified by Spain. Monitoring or surveillance sample, reached the market. Result 0,038 ± 0,019 (limit 0,01 mg/kg - ppm). chlorpyrifos

Data and downloads

Download all 89 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 2026-10-22. To get new ones for Egypt by email, watch Egypt.

Egypt country report since 2020 — all notification types, not just border rejections →