Belgium in RASFF, 2020–2025
Belgium was the origin of 776 of 25,645 EU food notifications in 2020–2025 (3.0%), ranking 11th of 160 origins. 15.6% concerned meat and meat products (other than poultry); the most-cited hazard class was pathogenic micro-organisms, and the most-cited substance salmonella.
Food only (feed and food contact materials excluded), all notification types — border rejections, alerts and information notifications — validated 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2025. Download every table (CSV).
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By year
| Year | Notifications | Share of EU total | Rank among origins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 139 | 4.0% | 9 |
| 2021 | 146 | 3.5% | 11 |
| 2022 | 114 | 2.9% | 11 |
| 2023 | 114 | 2.7% | 12 |
| 2024 | 118 | 2.4% | 15 |
| 2025 | 145 | 3.0% | 11 |
| 2020–2025 | 776 | 3.0% | 11 |
Tables below show each year 2020–2025; cells are shaded against their row's own peak. Change compares 2025 with 2020 and is shown only where 2020 had at least 10 notifications ("new" where it had none). RASFF Window's data starts on 23 January 2020.
By notification type
| Type | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alert A serious risk in a product on the EU market, needing rapid action. |
115 | 112 | 91 | 76 | 70 | 98 | 562 (72.4%) | −15% |
| Information for attention A risk found, but the product is not on other members' markets, so they need not act rapidly. |
11 | 11 | 14 | 12 | 19 | 16 | 83 (10.7%) | +45% |
| Information for follow-up A risk in a product on, or possibly on, other members' markets; follow-up needed, not rapid action. |
13 | 23 | 9 | 26 | 29 | 31 | 131 (16.9%) | +138% |
How problems were found
Details available for 772 of 776 notifications.
| Found by | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Company's own check | 94 | 105 | 74 | 72 | 79 | 94 | 518 (67.1%) | +0% |
| Official control on the market | 32 | 29 | 25 | 24 | 28 | 32 | 170 (22.0%) | +0% |
| Consumer complaint or illness | 13 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 9 | 16 | 78 (10.1%) | +23% |
| Monitoring or surveillance sample | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 (0.5%) | — |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 (0.3%) | new |
Did it reach the EU market?
Of the notifications whose record says either way, 97.4% concerned a product that had been placed on the market; the rest were stopped before it. RASFF records whether a product was on sale, not whether anyone bought it.
Details available for 772 of 776 notifications.
| Year | Reached the market | Stopped before | Not stated | Share reached |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 131 | 2 | 6 | 98.5% |
| 2021 | 124 | 2 | 20 | 98.4% |
| 2022 | 102 | 4 | 7 | 96.2% |
| 2023 | 102 | 3 | 7 | 97.1% |
| 2024 | 101 | 4 | 12 | 96.2% |
| 2025 | 122 | 3 | 20 | 97.6% |
Distributed to
| Country | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 75 | 94 | 62 | 65 | 44 | 77 | 417 | +3% |
| Belgium | 69 | 78 | 54 | 39 | 35 | 50 | 325 | −28% |
| France | 56 | 66 | 42 | 43 | 43 | 61 | 311 | +9% |
| Germany | 39 | 55 | 32 | 33 | 30 | 43 | 232 | +10% |
| Luxembourg | 45 | 47 | 32 | 25 | 27 | 46 | 222 | +2% |
| United Kingdom | 23 | 37 | 22 | 16 | 8 | 20 | 126 | −13% |
| Spain | 16 | 37 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 23 | 120 | +44% |
| Italy | 17 | 26 | 15 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 90 | −29% |
| Denmark | 16 | 23 | 15 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 81 | −38% |
| Poland | 12 | 31 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 81 | −33% |
What was done
A notification can record several actions; each is counted once per notification, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
| Action | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authorities or operators informed | 78 | 87 | 73 | 71 | 78 | 94 | 481 (62.3%) | +21% |
| Withdrawn from the market | 49 | 62 | 38 | 40 | 43 | 46 | 278 (36.0%) | −6% |
| Recalled from consumers | 24 | 35 | 35 | 33 | 27 | 44 | 198 (25.6%) | +83% |
| Not stated | 12 | 13 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 68 (8.8%) | +8% |
| Destroyed | 7 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 15 | 41 (5.3%) | — |
| Detained or held under seal | 1 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 29 (3.8%) | — |
| Re-dispatched | 3 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 28 (3.6%) | — |
| Treated, relabelled or diverted | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 14 (1.8%) | — |
| Reinforced checks ordered | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 (0.6%) | — |
| Re-dispatched or destroyed | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 (0.5%) | — |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 (0.1%) | — |
Consumer recalls by year
| Year | Recalls | Share of notifications |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 24 | 17.3% |
| 2021 | 35 | 24.0% |
| 2022 | 35 | 31.0% |
| 2023 | 33 | 29.5% |
| 2024 | 27 | 23.1% |
| 2025 | 44 | 30.3% |
By food category
| Category | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meat and Meat Products (Other Than Poultry) | 28 | 21 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 121 (15.6%) | −29% |
| Cereals and Bakery Products | 18 | 15 | 20 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 96 (12.4%) | −28% |
| Fruits and Vegetables | 8 | 14 | 12 | 17 | 19 | 22 | 92 (11.9%) | — |
| Other Food Product / Mixed | 18 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 6 | 13 | 67 (8.6%) | −28% |
| Poultry Meat and Poultry Meat Products | 10 | 19 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 67 (8.6%) | +30% |
| Prepared Dishes and Snacks | 10 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 6 | 59 (7.6%) | −40% |
| Milk and Milk Products | 7 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 12 | 44 (5.7%) | — |
| Nuts, Nut Products and Seeds | 21 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 36 (4.6%) | −95% |
| Dietetic Foods, Food Supplements and Fortified Foods | 0 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 31 (4.0%) | — |
| Herbs and Spices | 1 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 29 (3.7%) | — |
| Cocoa and Cocoa Preparations, Coffee and Tea | 1 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 27 (3.5%) | — |
| Soups, Broths, Sauces and Condiments | 2 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 23 (3.0%) | — |
| Food Additives and Flavourings | 2 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 19 (2.4%) | — |
| Fish and Fish Products | 3 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 15 (1.9%) | — |
| Confectionery | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 (1.3%) | — |
| Alcoholic Beverages | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 (0.9%) | — |
| Eggs and Egg Products | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 (0.9%) | — |
| Non-Alcoholic Beverages | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 (0.9%) | — |
| Fats and Oils | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 (0.6%) | — |
| Ices and Desserts | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 (0.6%) | — |
| Honey and Royal Jelly | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 (0.5%) | — |
| Crustaceans and Products Thereof | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 (0.3%) | — |
| Water for Human Consumption (Other) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 (0.3%) | — |
| Food Contact Materials | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (0.1%) | — |
By hazard class
A notification citing hazards of two classes counts once in each, so rows can add up to more than the total.
| Hazard class | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pathogenic micro-organisms | 40 | 40 | 29 | 22 | 24 | 30 | 185 (23.8%) | −25% |
| Pesticide residues | 30 | 34 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 110 (14.2%) | −63% |
| Mycotoxins | 3 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 13 | 30 (3.9%) | — |
| Environmental pollutants | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 27 (3.5%) | — |
| Allergens | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 18 (2.3%) | — |
| Heavy metals | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 17 (2.2%) | — |
| Natural toxins (other) | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 12 (1.5%) | — |
| Residues of veterinary medicinal products | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 12 (1.5%) | — |
| Composition | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 10 (1.3%) | — |
| Industrial contaminants | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 (1.2%) | — |
| Foreign bodies | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 (0.8%) | — |
| Food additives and flavourings | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 (0.5%) | — |
| Radiation | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 (0.5%) | — |
| Genetically modified | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 (0.4%) | — |
| Migration | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 (0.4%) | — |
| Chemical contamination (other) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 (0.3%) | — |
| Non-pathogenic micro-organisms | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 (0.3%) | — |
| Biological contaminants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 (0.1%) | — |
| Gmo / novel food | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (0.1%) | — |
| Labelling absent/incomplete/incorrect | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (0.1%) | — |
| No hazard recorded | 51 | 57 | 54 | 47 | 51 | 59 | 319 (41.1%) | +16% |
| Unclassified | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 (0.3%) | — |
By risk level
| Risk decision | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serious | 120 | 104 | 93 | 74 | 67 | 91 | 549 (70.7%) | −24% |
| Potentially serious | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 27 | 24 | 68 (8.8%) | — |
| Potential risk | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 12 | 19 | 41 (5.3%) | — |
| Not serious | 7 | 16 | 3 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 60 (7.7%) | — |
| No risk | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 (0.6%) | — |
| Undecided | 12 | 23 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 53 (6.8%) | −100% |
Most-cited substances
Labels RASFF records for one substance are merged (e.g. chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos-ethyl); chemically distinct compounds stay apart.
Pesticide residues
| Substance | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ethylene oxide | 26 | 26 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 56 | −100% |
| chlorpyrifos | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 | — |
| heptachlor | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | — |
| tebuconazole | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | — |
| chlorpyrifos-methyl | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | — |
| flonicamid | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | — |
| lambda-cyhalothrin | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | — |
| prothioconazole | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | — |
| acetamiprid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | — |
| anthraquinone | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | — |
Other hazards
| Substance | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| salmonella | 15 | 20 | 7 | 11 | 14 | 12 | 79 | −20% |
| listeria monocytogenes | 12 | 13 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 60 | +0% |
| escherichia coli shigatoxin-producing | 11 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 39 | −73% |
| aflatoxins | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 15 | — |
| ochratoxin A | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 13 | — |
| mineral oil | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 10 | — |
| cadmium | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 9 | — |
| doxycycline | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | — |
| pyrrolizidine alkaloids | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | — |
| acrylamide | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | — |
By month
Pooled across 2020–2025. Each row is shaded against its own peak, so its season shows whatever its size. Alerts peak in October; Information notifications peak in July.
By notification type
| Type | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alerts | 33 | 40 | 46 | 41 | 44 | 48 | 41 | 58 | 39 | 66 | 54 | 52 | October |
| Information notifications | 16 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 8 | 18 | 28 | 14 | 26 | 20 | 15 | 24 | July |
By hazard class
| Hazard class | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pathogenic micro-organisms | 13 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 22 | 16 | 26 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 11 | August |
| Pesticide residues | 7 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 19 | November |
| Mycotoxins | 2 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | March |
| Environmental pollutants | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 5 | December |
| Allergens | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | September |
Notifying member states
| Member state | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 87 | 77 | 77 | 66 | 70 | 81 | 458 | −7% |
| Netherlands | 29 | 22 | 18 | 28 | 19 | 25 | 141 | −14% |
| France | 2 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 12 | 20 | 48 | — |
| Germany | 4 | 17 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 43 | — |
| Denmark | 1 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 14 | — |
| Luxembourg | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 12 | — |
| Poland | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 10 | — |
| Italy | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | — |
| Austria | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | — |
| Ireland | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | — |
Method
Source: RASFF Window, the European Commission's public notification database; every food notification validated in 2020–2025.
A notification naming several origins counts once for each, so origin shares can add up to more than 100%.
Hazard classes are the ones RASFF attaches to each hazard. A hazard without a class is "unclassified"; a notification exported without any hazard is "no hazard recorded".
Counts describe what EU authorities found and reported. They depend on how often each product is checked, so they are not a rate of unsafe food.
Licence: CC-BY-4.0. Cite as "Belgium food safety record, 2020–2025: EU RASFF", RASFF Trends, 2026-10-14, https://rasff.fruit-risk.com/reports/belgium.html.