Turkey — Herbs and Spices
Turkey received 43 RASFF border-rejection notifications in Herbs and Spices between 2023-Q4 and 2026-Q3. Volume peaked at 9 in 2024-Q2, with the trend falling sharply year-on-year. The most-cited issues are pyrrolizidine alkaloids, sibutramine, and Salmonella.
Key figures
If you import herbs and spices from Turkey
- Chance a consignment is opened at the EU border
- 50% of consignments get identity and physical checks for cyanide (Reg. (EU) 2019/1793).
- If it is rejected
- Destroyed 40%; re-dispatched 26%; re-dispatched or destroyed 19%; held, final fate not recorded 14%. 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
- Bulgaria (10), Belgium (6), France (6), of 42 border rejections in the last 3 years.
- Riskiest months
- October, April, June, by rejections since 2020.
- Test for before shipping
- pyrrolizidine alkaloids (36), salmonella (3), sibutramine (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.
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Quarterly rejections, last 12 quarters
Show the numbers
| Quarter | Notifications |
|---|---|
| 2023-Q4 | 7 |
| 2024-Q1 | 1 |
| 2024-Q2 | 9 |
| 2024-Q3 | 4 |
| 2024-Q4 | 5 |
| 2025-Q1 | 3 |
| 2025-Q2 | 2 |
| 2025-Q3 | 5 |
| 2025-Q4 | 3 |
| 2026-Q1 | 1 |
| 2026-Q2 | 0 |
| 2026-Q3 | 3 |
Recent rejections
- 2026.8546 Pyrrolizidine alkaloids in cumin powder from Turkiye Notified by France. Re-dispatched or destroyed.
- 2026.7824 Elevated Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids in Dried Oregano from India Notified by Ireland. Re-dispatched or destroyed. Result 1571 +/- 173 (limit 1000 µg/kg - ppb). pyrrolizidine alkaloids
- 2026.5896 Pyrrolizidine alkaloids in cumin ground from Türkiye Notified by Bulgaria. Destroyed. Result 1573.6+/-390 (limit 400 mg/kg - ppm). pyrrolizidine alkaloids
- 2026.0987 Pyrrolizidine alkaloids in oregano (kekik) from Türkiye Notified by Norway. Destroyed. Result 5244 (limit 1000 µg/kg - ppb). pyrrolizidine alkaloids
- 2025.10437 Pyrrolizidine alkaloides in dried oregano from Türkiye Notified by Bulgaria. Re-dispatched. Result 2960,6+/-590 (limit 1000 µg/kg - ppb). pyrrolizidine alkaloids
- 2025.9041 Pyrrolizidine alkaloids in dried oregano from Turkiye Notified by France. Re-dispatched or destroyed. Result 2142±1072 (limit 1000 µg/kg - ppb). pyrrolizidine alkaloids
- 2025.8591 SIBUTRAMINA IN BUSTINE DI TE MONODOSE / Sibutramin in single-dose tea packs from Türkiye Notified by Italy. Result rilevata (limit ASSENTE null). sibutramine
- 2025.7204 pyrrolizidine alkaloids in dried oregano from Turkey Notified by Belgium. Result 2323 (limit 1000 mg/kg - ppm). pyrrolizidine alkaloids
- 2025.6794 Border rejection of ground cumin from Turkey due to unsatisfactory documentation Notified by Ireland. Re-dispatched or destroyed.
- 2025.5936 Pyrrolizidine alkaloids in dried oregano from Türkiye Notified by Bulgaria. Re-dispatched. Result 7990+/-3196 (limit 1000 µg/kg - ppb). pyrrolizidine alkaloids
- 2025.5874 Pyrrolizidine alkaloid above LM Reg.2023/915 in oregano Notified by Portugal. Re-dispatched. Result 1292,6 µg/Kg (limit 400 µg/kg - ppb). pyrrolizidine alkaloids
- 2025.5783 Pyrrolizidine alkaloid over LM in Dried oregano from Turkey Notified by Portugal. Reached the market, re-dispatched or destroyed. Result 2995. pyrrolizidine alkaloids
- 2025.4583 Pyrrolizidine alkaloids above MRL in dried Oregano from Türkyie Notified by Norway. Reached the market, destroyed. Result 3518 (limit 1000 µg/kg - ppb). pyrrolizidine alkaloids
- 2025.2804 Pyrrolizidine alkaloids in dried oregano from Türkiye. Notified by Belgium. Destroyed. Result 14914 (limit 1000 µg/kg - ppb). pyrrolizidine alkaloids
- 2025.1540 Pyrrolizidine alkaloids in dried oregano from Türkiye. Notified by Belgium. Re-dispatched or destroyed. Result 2203 (limit 1000 µg/kg - ppb). pyrrolizidine alkaloids
- 2025.0925 Pyrrolizidine alkaloids in dried oregano from Türkiye. Notified by Belgium. Destroyed. Result 2775 (limit 1000 µg/kg - ppb). pyrrolizidine alkaloids
- 2025.0772 Pyrrolizidine alkaloids in grounded cumin from Türkiye. Notified by Belgium. Re-dispatched or destroyed. Result 5471 (limit 400 µg/kg - ppb). pyrrolizidine alkaloids
- 2024.9072 Salmonella sp. in cumin from Türkiye Notified by Finland. Destroyed. Result present (limit none /25g). Salmonella
- 2024.8775 High Level of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids (PZA) (2449.4 ug/kg) in Ground Cumin Notified by Ireland. Destroyed. Result 2449.4 +/- 350.4 (limit 400 µg/kg - ppb). pyrrolizidine alkaloids
- 2024.7914 pyrrolizidine alkaloids in ground cumin from Türkiye Notified by Bulgaria. Destroyed. Result 1188.3+/-475.4 (limit 400 µg/kg - ppb). pyrrolizidine alkaloids
Found on the EU market: alerts and information notifications
Besides border rejections, 125 notifications since 2020 concerned herbs and spices from Turkey found after entering the EU — 51 alerts, 74 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 70%, company's own check 22%, at the EU border 7%, consumer complaint or illness 1%. 46 led to a recall from consumers.
Show the numbers
| Year | Total | Alerts | Information notifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 16 | 9 | 7 |
| 2021 | 17 | 8 | 9 |
| 2022 | 15 | 8 | 7 |
| 2023 | 33 | 13 | 20 |
| 2024 | 19 | 7 | 12 |
| 2025 | 21 | 5 | 16 |
| 2026 to date | 4 | 1 | 3 |
- 2026.5877 alertUnlabeled/incorrectly labeled allergen (peanut) in Thyme spice blend from Türkiye, via the Netherlands Notified by Germany. Official control on the market, reached the market, destroyed. peanut
- 2026.4720 info: attentionAflatoxins and ochratoxin A in paprika spice mix from Türkiye Notified by Germany. Official control on the market, reached the market. Result 221,3 +/- 110,6 (limit 20 µg/kg - ppb). Aflatoxin B1aflatoxin totalochratoxin A
- 2026.3941 info: attentionAflatoxins and ochratoxin A in cayenne pepper from Turkey Notified by Germany. Official control on the market, reached the market. Result 113,2 ± 64,1 (limit 20 µg/kg - ppb). Aflatoxin B1aflatoxin totalochratoxin A
- 2026.3219 info: attentionpyrrolizidine alkaloids in oregano Notified by France. Company's own check. Result >2349 (limit 1000 µg/kg - ppb). pyrrolizidine alkaloids
- 2025.8227 info: attentionPyrrolizidine alkaloids in dried oregano from Türkiye Notified by Belgium. Company's own check, reached the market. Result 2110 (limit 1000 µg/kg - ppb). pyrrolizidine alkaloids
- 2025.8005 info: attentionHigh levels of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA) in oregano Notified by Switzerland. Official control on the market, reached the market. Result 29585 (limit 1000 µg/kg - ppb). pyrrolizidine alkaloids
- 2025.7692 info: attentionPyrrolizidin alkaloids in dried oregano from Turkey Notified by Hungary. Official control on the market, reached the market. Result 8132 +- 1626 (limit 1000 µg/kg - ppb). pyrrolizidine alkaloids
- 2025.4762 alertChlorpyrifos in rubbed mint from Turkey Notified by Germany. Official control on the market, reached the market. Result 0,23 +/- 0,12. chlorpyrifos
- 2025.4668 info: attentionpyrrolizidine alkaloids in dried sage from Türkiye Notified by Belgium. Company's own check, reached the market. Result 645 (limit 400 µg/kg - ppb). pyrrolizidine alkaloids
- 2025.4433 info: attentionBacillus cereus in ground ginger Notified by Switzerland. Official control on the market, reached the market. Result 120'000. Bacillus cereus
Data and downloads
Download all 196 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 2026-09-25. To get new ones for Turkey by email, watch Turkey.
Turkey country report since 2020 — all notification types, not just border rejections →