Nigeria — Nuts, Nut Products and Seeds — Sesame

Nigeria received 111 RASFF border-rejection notifications in Sesame, part of Nuts, Nut Products and Seeds between 2023-Q4 and 2026-Q3. Volume peaked at 16 in 2023-Q4, with the trend roughly flat year-on-year. The most-cited issue is Salmonella. Measured against EU import value, that runs at 669.3 notifications per $1 billion of imports of this commodity from Nigeria over the last 3 years. The list below gives the 20 most recent rejections by date and RASFF reference, with the country that notified it and the hazard found; 20 carry the laboratory result and 19 say what happened to the consignment.

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Key figures

If you import sesame from Nigeria

Above the median. Nigeria ranks 3rd of 6 origins shipping sesame to the EU on border rejections per $1 billion of EU imports, at 669.3 — above 60% of them.

least riskmost risk

Chance a consignment is opened at the EU border: 50% of consignments get identity and physical checks for salmonella (Reg. (EU) 2019/1793).
Rejections against import volume: On average, 1 border rejection per 650 tonnes imported into the EU over the last 3 years; the 2nd highest rejection rate of 5 origins with enough import volume on record to rate (EU import quantities 2022–2024, FAOSTAT).
If it is rejected: Treated, sorted or diverted 81%; held, final fate not recorded 8%; re-dispatched or destroyed 6%; re-dispatched 4%; destroyed 1%; not stated 1% (209 tonnes in all). 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: Greece (89), Spain (7), Poland (5), of 109 border rejections in the last 3 years.
Riskiest months: September, August, November, by rejections since 2020.
Test for before shipping: salmonella (77), aflatoxins (1), salmonellen (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	16
2024-Q1	6
2024-Q2	13
2024-Q3	3
2024-Q4	13
2025-Q1	7
2025-Q2	5
2025-Q3	10
2025-Q4	7
2026-Q1	2
2026-Q2	13
2026-Q3	16

Recent rejections

2026.7619 2026-08-28 Salmonella (presence /25g) in sesame seeds from Nigeria Notified by Greece. Treated, sorted or diverted. Result PRESENCE/25 GR IN 3 X OF THE 10 UNITS (limit ABSENSE /25g). Salmonella
2026.7500 2026-08-25 Salmonella spp. in sesame seeds form Nigeria Notified by Greece. Treated, sorted or diverted. Result PRESENCE/25 GR IN ONE OF TEN UNITS (limit ABSENCE /25g). Salmonella
2026.6934 2026-08-05 Salmonella spp in sesame seeds from Nigeria Notified by Greece. Treated, sorted or diverted. Result presence (limit absence /25g). Salmonella
2026.6931 2026-08-05 Salmonela en semillas de sésamo de Nigeria // Salmonella in sesame seeds from Nigeria Notified by Spain. Treated, sorted or diverted. Result presencia (limit ausencia /25g). Salmonella
2026.6645 2026-07-27 Salmonella spp in sesame seeds from Nigeria Notified by Greece. Treated, sorted or diverted. Result PRESENCE/25 GR IN ONE OUT TEN UNITS (limit ABSENCE/25GR /25g). Salmonella
2026.6550 2026-07-23 Salmonella spp in sesame seeds from Nigeria Notified by Greece. Treated, sorted or diverted. Result PRESENCE (limit ABSENCE /25g). Salmonella
2026.6548 2026-07-23 Salmonella spp in sesame seeds from Nigeria Notified by Greece. Treated, sorted or diverted. Result presence (limit ABSENCE /25g). Salmonella
2026.6547 2026-07-23 Salmonella spp in sesame seeds from Nigeria Notified by Greece. Treated, sorted or diverted. Result presence (limit absence /25g). Salmonella
2026.6432 2026-07-20 Salmonella spp in sesame seeds from Nigeria Notified by Greece. Treated, sorted or diverted. Result PRESENCE/25 GR IN ONE OUT OF TEN UNITS (limit ABSENCE /25g). Salmonella
2026.6385 2026-07-17 Salmonella en semilla de sésamo de Nigeria // Salmonella in sesame seeds from Nigeria Notified by Spain. Treated, sorted or diverted. Result presencia (limit ausencia /25g). Salmonella
2026.6217 2026-07-13 Salmonella spp in hulled sesame seeds from Nigeria Notified by Netherlands. Treated, sorted or diverted. Result Present in 25 grams. Salmonella
2026.6174 2026-07-10 Salmonella spp in sesame seeds from Nigeria Notified by Greece. Treated, sorted or diverted. Result presence (limit absence /25g). Salmonella
2026.5856 2026-07-02 Salmonella spp. in sesame seeds from Nigeria Notified by Greece. Treated, sorted or diverted. Result presence (limit absence /25g). Salmonella
2026.5796 2026-07-01 Salmonella spp in sesame seeds from Nigeria Notified by Greece. Treated, sorted or diverted. Result PRESENCE/25 GR IN 3 OUT OF TEN UNITS (limit ABSENCE /25g). Salmonella
2026.5795 2026-07-01 Salmonella spp in sesame seeds from Nigeria Notified by Greece. Treated, sorted or diverted. Result PRESENCE/25 GR IN 1 OUT OF 10 UNITS (limit ABSENCE /25g). Salmonella
2026.5793 2026-07-01 Salmonella spp in sesame seeds from Nigeria Notified by Greece. Treated, sorted or diverted. Result PRESENCE/25 GR IN 1 OUT OF 10 UNITS (limit ABSENCE /25g). Salmonella
2026.5765 2026-06-30 Salmonella spp. in sesame seeds from Nigeria Notified by Greece. Treated, sorted or diverted. Result presence (limit ABSENCE /25g). Salmonella
2026.5619 2026-06-25 Salmonella spp. in sesame seeds from Nigeria Notified by Greece. Result presence (limit Absence of Salmonella spp. /25g). Salmonella
2026.5384 2026-06-18 Salmonella spp in sesame seeds from Nigeria Notified by Greece. Treated, sorted or diverted. Result PRESENCE (limit ABSENCE /25g). Salmonella
2026.5380 2026-06-18 salmonella en semilla de sésamo de Nigeria // salmonella in sesame seeds from Nigeria Notified by Spain. Treated, sorted or diverted. Result presencia en una submuestra (limit ausencia /25g). Salmonella

Found on the EU market: alerts and information notifications

Besides border rejections, 11 notifications since 2020 concerned sesame from Nigeria found after entering the EU — 4 alerts, 7 information notifications. They are not part of the rejection figures or rates above, which measure border controls.

How they were found: company's own check 64%, official control on the market 36%. 3 led to a recall from consumers.

alerts information notifications

Show the numbers

Year	Total	Alerts	Information notifications
2020	2	1	1
2021	3	2	1
2022	0	0	0
2023	2	1	1
2024	4	0	4
2025	0	0	0
2026 to date	0	0	0

2024.2281 2024-03-25 info: attentionPesticide residues above MRL in sesame seeds from Nigeria Notified by Norway. Company's own check, reached the market. Result 0,022 (limit 0,01 mg/kg - ppm). chloratechlorpyrifos
2024.1352 2024-02-26 info: attentionUnauthorised substance chlorate in sesame from Nigeria Notified by Germany. Company's own check, reached the market. Result 0,54 (limit 0,05 mg/kg - ppm). chlorate
2024.1330 2024-02-26 info: follow-upChlorate in hulled sesame from Nigeria Notified by Germany. Company's own check, reached the market. Result 0,39 (limit 0,05 mg/kg - ppm). chlorate
2024.0761 2024-02-02 info: follow-upChlorates in sesame seeds from Nigeria, via Germany Notified by Belgium. Official control on the market, reached the market. Result 0,35 (limit 0,05 mg/kg - ppm). chlorate
2023.7760 2023-11-10 alertObecność Salmonella spp. w 1 z 5 próbek sezamu łuskanego/Presence of Salmonella spp. in 1 out of 5 shelled sesame samples Notified by Poland. Official control on the market, reached the market. Result Wykryto w 1 z 5 próbek (limit nieobecne /25g). Salmonella
2023.0719 2023-01-31 info: attentionSalmonella enterica ser. Mbandaka in tahini from Türkiye, with raw material from Nigeria Notified by Germany. Official control on the market, reached the market. Result nachgewiesen /// present. Salmonella Mbandaka
2021.5070 2021-09-22 alert2-Chloroethanol in sesame seeds from Nigeria, used in baking mixes from Germany Notified by Germany. Company's own check. Result 1,8 (limit 0,05 mg/kg - ppm). 2-chloroethanolethylene oxide
2021.2694 2021-05-27 info: attentionSalmonella spp. in sesame from Nigeria Notified by Germany. Company's own check, not on the market. Result 125. Salmonella spp.
2021.0230 2021-01-15 alertChlorpyrifos in sesame seeds Notified by Belgium. Company's own check, reached the market. Result 0,024 (limit 0,01 mg/kg - ppm). chlorpyrifos
2020.5780 2020-12-15 alertunauthorised substance ethylene oxide in in sesame seeds unhulled from Nigeria Notified by Germany. Official control on the market, reached the market. Result 6,8 (limit 0,05 mg/kg - ppm). ethylene oxide

Data and downloads

Download all 266 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 2026-08-28. To get new ones for Nigeria by email, watch Nigeria.

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