United States — Fish and Fish Products
United States received 11 RASFF border-rejection notifications in Fish and Fish Products between 2023-Q4 and 2026-Q3. Volume peaked at 4 in 2023-Q4, with the trend rising year-on-year. The most-cited issues are Anisakis, nematodes, and mercury. The list below gives each of these 20 rejections by date and RASFF reference, with the country that notified it and the hazard found; 3 carry the laboratory result and 7 say what happened to the consignment.
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Key figures
If you import fish and fish products from United States
- 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 70%; re-dispatched 30%. 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 (3), Germany (2), Portugal (2), of 10 border rejections in the last 3 years.
- Riskiest months
- March, July, December, by rejections since 2020.
- Test for before shipping
- anisakis (4), nematodes (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-Q4 | 4 |
| 2024-Q1 | 0 |
| 2024-Q2 | 0 |
| 2024-Q3 | 0 |
| 2024-Q4 | 0 |
| 2025-Q1 | 1 |
| 2025-Q2 | 2 |
| 2025-Q3 | 0 |
| 2025-Q4 | 1 |
| 2026-Q1 | 1 |
| 2026-Q2 | 1 |
| 2026-Q3 | 1 |
By commodity, last 156 weeks
| Commodity | Rejections | 1 rejection per | Per $1B EU imports | Most-cited hazard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salmon | 5 | — | — | Anisakis |
| Other | 3 | — | — | — |
| Squid & Octopus | 1 | — | — | — |
| Other Fish/Seafood | 1 | — | — | Anisakis |
| Tuna | 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
- 2026.7617 Label/ and sanitary certificate mismatch in squid from USA Notified by Portugal. Re-dispatched.
- 2026.3099 Parasitic infestation of cod carcases from USA Notified by Poland. Re-dispatched. Anisakis
- 2026.2359 Identification mark mismatch Notified by Portugal. Re-dispatched.
- 2025.8967 Rotura de cadena de frío en surimi de EEUU/ Breaking the cold chain in surimi from USA Notified by Spain.
- 2025.3679 Nematodes in frozen salmon fillet from the United States Notified by Germany. Result 45,9 /kg. nematodes
- 2025.3200 Nematodes in frozen salmon fillet with skin from the United States Notified by Germany. Result 128. nematodes
- 2025.0663 Rotura de cadena de frio en Merluza de EEUU/ Poor temperature control in Hake from EEUU Notified by Spain.
- 2023.8386 Parasitic infestation (anisakis) in frozen salmon from the USA Notified by Belgium. Anisakis
- 2023.8385 Parasitic infestation (anisakis) in frozen salmon from the USA Notified by Belgium. Anisakis
- 2023.8384 Parasitic infestation (anisakis) in frozen salmon from the USA Notified by Belgium. Anisakis
- 2023.7357 Ruptura de la cadena de frío en salmón de Estados Unidos. Breach of the cold chain in salmon from United States. Notified by Spain.
- 2023.4671 Fish oil in gelatine capsules Notified by Portugal. Re-dispatched or destroyed.
- 2023.4660 Fish oil in gelatine capsules Notified by Portugal. Re-dispatched or destroyed.
- 2023.4658 Fish oil in gelatine capsules Notified by Portugal. Re-dispatched or destroyed.
- 2023.4655 Fish oil in gelatine capsules Notified by Portugal. Re-dispatched or destroyed.
- 2023.2089 Congelación en buques no autorizados de atún originario de Estados Unidos // Freezing on unauthorized vessel, tuna fish from USA Notified by Spain.
- 2023.2066 Atún congelado en buques no autorizados de USA // Tuna frozen on unauthorised vessels from the USA Notified by Spain.
- 2023.2065 Atún congelado en buque no autorizado procedente de USA // Tuna frozen on unauthorised vessel from USA Notified by Spain.
- 2023.2063 Atún congelado en buque no autorizado de Estados Unidos // Tuna frozen on unauthorised vessel from the USA Notified by Spain.
- 2022.3532 High levels of mercury in frozen fish from the United States Notified by Lithuania. Result 0,831±0,216 (limit 0,5 mg/kg - ppm). mercury
Found on the EU market: alerts and information notifications
Besides border rejections, 4 notifications since 2020 concerned fish and fish products from United States found after entering the EU — 4 information notifications. They are not part of the rejection figures or rates above, which measure border controls.
How they were found: consumer complaint or illness 50%, at the EU border 25%, official control on the market 25%. 1 led to a recall from consumers.
Show the numbers
| Year | Total | Information notifications |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 2 | 2 |
| 2026 to date | 1 | 1 |
- 2026.7703 info: attentionFrozen Alaska pollock fillets – Anisakis spp. parasite infestation Notified by Estonia. At the EU border. Result 8 Anisakidae worms (limit cannot contain viable parasites null). Anisakis
- 2025.0901 info: follow-upNematode larvae in frozen wild salmon from the USA, via the Netherlands Notified by Germany. Official control on the market, reached the market. nematodes
- 2025.0116 info: attentionIncreased infestation with the parasite Anisakis spp. in frozen hake Notified by Croatia. Consumer complaint or illness, reached the market. Anisakis
- 2020.1003 info: follow-upParasites in salmon from Alaska Notified by Austria. Consumer complaint or illness, reached the market. nematodes
Data and downloads
Download all 29 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 2026-09-01. To get new ones for United States by email, watch United States.
United States country report since 2020 — all notification types, not just border rejections →