Aflatoxins in EU Food Imports — RASFF Notifications

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Aflatoxins appeared in 2,902 RASFF notifications between 2018 and 2026 — 12.2% of the 23,724 notifications that identify a hazard. The origins cited most often are Turkey, United States, Argentina. The most-affected product category is Nuts, Nut Products and Seeds. Volume in 2025 was up 3% on 2024.

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Aflatoxins notifications by year

YearNotificationsof which border rejectionsYoY
2018 1 1
2019 17 13
2020 373 307
2021 398 329 +6.7%
2022 426 332 +7.0%
2023 335 228 -21.4%
2024 540 373 +61.2%
2025 554 293 +2.6%
2026 258 142 YTD
Total2,902

Origins most cited for Aflatoxins

#Origin countryNotifications
1 Turkey 655
2 United States 473
3 Argentina 279
4 Egypt 193
5 Iran 193
6 India 191
7 Pakistan 146
8 Georgia 92
9 China 70
10 Bolivia 41
11 Italy 40
12 Spain 40
13 Azerbaijan 39
14 Indonesia 39
15 Brazil 32
16 Netherlands 32
17 Nigeria 25
18 Paraguay 25
19 Nicaragua 23
20 France 21
21 Australia 20
22 Belgium 19
23 Serbia 17
24 Germany 16
25 United Arab Emirates 16
26 Sri Lanka 15
27 Uganda 10
28 Romania 9
29 Ghana 8
30 Senegal 8

Product categories where Aflatoxins appears

#Product categoryNotifications
1Nuts, Nut Products and Seeds1,874
2Fruits and Vegetables555
3Cereals and Bakery Products199
4Herbs and Spices135
5Feed Materials74
6Other Food Product / Mixed29
7Confectionery9
8Cocoa and Cocoa Preparations, Coffee and Tea7
9Compound Feeds5
10Milk and Milk Products5
11Soups, Broths, Sauces and Condiments4
12Prepared Dishes and Snacks2
13Dietetic Foods, Food Supplements and Fortified Foods1
14Fats and Oils1
15Ices and Desserts1

Origins under EU increased official controls for Aflatoxins

Under Regulation (EU) 2019/1793 the EU checks these origin–product combinations at an increased, fixed frequency because of Aflatoxins findings:

OriginProductsChecksAnnex
Bolivia HS 1202, 2008 50% II
Ghana HS 1106, 1202, 1208, 1515, 2007, 2008, 2305 50% I
India HS 1202, 2008 50% II
Iran HS 0802, 0813, 2007, 2008 50% II
Sri Lanka HS 0904, 2005 50% I
Turkey HS 0802, 0813, 1106, 2007, 2008 50% II
Egypt HS 1202, 2008 30% II
Ethiopia HS 0904, 0910 30% I
Indonesia HS 0908 30% II
Pakistan HS 0910 30% I
Turkey HS 0804, 0813, 2007, 2008 30% II
Argentina HS 1202, 2008, 2305 20% I
Azerbaijan HS 0802, 0813, 1208, 2007, 2008 20% I
Georgia HS 0802, 0813, 2007, 2008 20% I
United States HS 1202, 2008, 2305 20% I
China HS 1202, 1208, 2007, 2008, 2305 10% I
Pakistan HS 1006 10% I

Recent Aflatoxins notifications

About Aflatoxins

Aflatoxins are carcinogenic mycotoxins produced by Aspergillus moulds growing on crops stored in warm, humid conditions. In EU border controls they turn up most often in tree nuts, groundnuts, dried figs, spices and rice. The EU applies some of the world's strictest maximum levels, which is why aflatoxins are among the most frequent grounds for rejecting food consignments at the EU border.

Which RASFF notifications does this page count?

All classifications: alert notifications, border rejection notifications and information notifications. A consignment rejected at the border and a product recalled from shelves are both evidence that the hazard reached EU food controls, so both count. The by-year table shows the border-rejection share separately.

What happens when this hazard is found in a consignment?

At the border, the consignment is refused entry and either re-dispatched, destroyed or downgraded to non-food use. On the internal market, the product is withdrawn or recalled and every member state that received it is notified through RASFF. Repeated findings against one origin can move that origin onto Regulation (EU) 2019/1793, which fixes an increased frequency of identity and physical checks at the border.

Where does this data come from?

The public RASFF Window operated by the European Commission, refetched daily. Counts are per notification, so one consignment listing several variants of the same hazard is counted once.