Ghana — Fats and Oils

Ghana received 6 RASFF border-rejection notifications in Fats and Oils between 2023-Q3 and 2026-Q2. Volume peaked at 3 in 2023-Q4, with the trend newly active in the last year. The most-cited issues are Sudan 4, Sudan 3, and 3-monochlor-1,2-propanediol (3-MCPD). The list below gives each of these 20 rejections by date and RASFF reference, with the country that notified it and the hazard found; 18 carry the laboratory result and 11 say what happened to the consignment.

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Key figures

If you import fats and oils from Ghana

Chance a consignment is opened at the EU border: 50% of consignments get identity and physical checks for sudan dyes (Reg. (EU) 2019/1793).
If it is rejected: Re-dispatched or destroyed 40%; held, final fate not recorded 40%; destroyed 20%. 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: Belgium (2), Italy (2), Ireland (1), of 5 border rejections in the last 3 years.
Riskiest months: February, August, January, by rejections since 2020.
Test for before shipping: sudan 4 unauthorised colour (3), 3-monochlor-1,2-propanediol (3-mcpd) (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-Q3	0
2023-Q4	3
2024-Q1	0
2024-Q2	0
2024-Q3	0
2024-Q4	0
2025-Q1	0
2025-Q2	0
2025-Q3	1
2025-Q4	0
2026-Q1	1
2026-Q2	1

Recent rejections

2026.5185 2026-06-11 Soudan red IV dye in palm oil from Ghana Notified by Belgium. Re-dispatched or destroyed. Result > LOQ (limit 0 µg/kg - ppb). Sudan 4
2026.2025 2026-03-11 Border rejection of consignment of palm oil from Ghana due to unsatisfactory submission of the official certificate Notified by Ireland. Destroyed.
2025.6286 2025-08-18 3-MCPD in palm oil from Ghana Notified by Belgium. Re-dispatched or destroyed. Result 2640 (limit 2500 µg/kg - ppb). 3-monochlor-1,2-propanediol (3-MCPD)
2023.8862 2023-12-22 sudan IV in olio di palma dal Ghana/Unauthorized colour Sudan IV in palm oil from Ghana Notified by Italy. Result 306,1 +/- 112,6. Sudan 4
2023.8277 2023-12-01 sudan IV in olio di palma dal Ghana Notified by Italy. Result 46.7. Sudan 4
2023.7232 2023-10-24 Unauthorized color Sudan IV in palm oil from Ghana Notified by Belgium. Destroyed. Result 26,6 (limit 0 µg/kg - ppb). Sudan 4
2023.0743 2023-02-01 unauthorised colour Sudan 4 in palm oil from Ghana Notified by Italy. Sudan 4
2023.0398 2023-01-17 Unauthorized color Sudan III in palm oil from Ghana Notified by Belgium. Result present (limit 0 µg/kg - ppb). Sudan 3
2022.6640 2022-11-14 Unauthorised colour Sudan 4 in red palm oil from Ghana // Presenza di Sudan IV non autorizzato in olio di palma origine Ghana Notified by Italy. Re-dispatched. Result 505+-91 microgrammi Kg. Sudan 4
2022.0971 2022-02-18 Unauthorised colours Sudan III and IV in palm oil from GHANA Notified by Italy. Result 241.9+/-68.6 (limit 0 µg/kg - ppb). Sudan 3Sudan 4
2022.0034 2022-01-04 Unauthorized colours Sudan IV in palm oil from Ghana Notified by Belgium. Destroyed. Result 489,3 (limit 0 µg/kg - ppb). Sudan 4
2021.6529 2021-12-01 unauthorised colours Sudan 3 and Sudan 4 in palm oil from Ghana Notified by Netherlands. Result 30 (limit no presence µg/kg - ppb). Sudan 3Sudan 4
2021.5203 2021-09-28 Unauthorized colours Sudan IV in palm oil from Ghana Notified by Belgium. Destroyed. Result 2635 (limit 0 µg/kg - ppb). Sudan 4
2021.4463 2021-08-20 Colori non autorizzati Sudan IV in olio di palma del Ghana//Unauthorized colors Sudan IV in Ghanaian palm oil Notified by Italy. Re-dispatched. Result 77.8 ±22.1 (limit 0 µg/kg - ppb). Sudan 4
2021.4206 2021-08-06 Unauthorized colours Sudan IV in palm oil from Ghana Notified by Belgium. Destroyed. Result >500 (limit 0 µg/kg - ppb). Sudan 4
2021.4205 2021-08-06 Unauthorized colours Sudan IV in palm oil from Ghana Notified by Belgium. Destroyed. Result >0,50 (limit 0 mg/kg - ppm). Sudan 4
2021.2690 2021-05-27 Unauthorized colour Sudan IV in palm oil from Ghana Notified by Belgium. Destroyed. Result >500 (limit 0 µg/kg - ppb). Sudan 4
2021.1937 2021-04-20 Unauthorised color Sudan-4 in palmoil from Ghana Notified by Netherlands. Result 72.4 (limit no presence µg/kg - ppb). Sudan 4
2021.0438 2021-01-28 Unauthorised color Sudan-4 in palmoil from Ghana Notified by Netherlands. Result 952 (limit no presence µg/kg - ppb). Sudan 4
2020.2749 2020-07-06 Sudan 4 in Edible Palm Oil from Ghana Notified by Netherlands. Result 23.1 (limit no presence µg/kg - ppb). Sudan 4

Found on the EU market: alerts and information notifications

Besides border rejections, 8 notifications since 2020 concerned fats and oils from Ghana found after entering the EU — 7 alerts, 1 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 88%, at the EU border 12%. 6 led to a recall from consumers.

alerts information notifications

Show the numbers

Year	Total	Alerts	Information notifications
2020	0	0	0
2021	2	2	0
2022	3	3	0
2023	0	0	0
2024	1	1	0
2025	2	1	1
2026 to date	0	0	0

2025.6752 2025-09-03 info: follow-upMineral oil components (MOAH) in palm oil from Ghana, via the Netherlands Notified by Germany. Official control on the market, reached the market. Result 7,0. mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH)
2025.4160 2025-06-03 alert3-MCPD in palm kernel oil from Ghana destined for the Netherlands Notified by Belgium. At the EU border, not on the market, re-dispatched or destroyed. Result 2040 (limit 1250 µg/kg - ppb). 3-monochlor-1,2-propanediol (3-MCPD)
2024.6658 2024-09-04 alertmineral oil (MOAH) in palm oil, from Ghana Notified by Netherlands. Official control on the market, reached the market, re-dispatched or destroyed. Result sum MOAH 12,0 (limit 2,0 (>50% fat) mg/kg - ppm). mineral oil
2022.7602 2022-12-28 alert3-MCPD in palm oil from Ghana Notified by Netherlands. Official control on the market, reached the market. Result 6238 ± 1060 (limit 2500 µg/kg - ppb). 3-monochlor-1,2-propanediol (3-MCPD)
2022.3076 2022-05-25 alert3-monochloorpropaan-1,2-diol in Zomi Palmoil from Ghana Notified by Netherlands. Official control on the market, reached the market. Result 4446 (limit 2500 µg/kg - ppb). 3-monochlor-1,2-propanediol (3-MCPD)
2022.2608 2022-05-04 alertUnauthorised colour Sudan Red IV in palm oil from Ghana Notified by Germany. Official control on the market, reached the market. Result 619. Sudan 4
2021.5560 2021-10-14 alertSudan-4 in Palm oil Notified by Netherlands. Official control on the market, reached the market, re-dispatched. Result 63 (limit 0 µg/kg - ppb). Sudan 4
2021.2219 2021-05-05 alertBenzo(a)pyrene in palm oil from Ghana, via the Netherlands Notified by Germany. Official control on the market, reached the market, destroyed. benzo(a)pyrene

Data and downloads

Download all 32 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 2026-06-11. To get new ones for Ghana by email, watch Ghana.

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