Kenya in RASFF, 2020–2025
← All origin reports Kenya: border rejections, last 3 years →
Kenya was the origin of 136 of 25,645 EU food notifications in 2020–2025 (0.5%), ranking 35th of 160 origins. 90.4% concerned fruits and vegetables; the most-cited hazard class was pesticide residues, and the most-cited substance acephate.
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 | 2 | 0.1% | 91 |
| 2021 | 1 | 0.0% | 109 |
| 2022 | 21 | 0.5% | 39 |
| 2023 | 33 | 0.8% | 26 |
| 2024 | 45 | 0.9% | 22 |
| 2025 | 34 | 0.7% | 33 |
| 2020–2025 | 136 | 0.5% | 35 |
Year links open that year's border rejections, entry by entry.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Border rejection border rejections → Stopped at the EU's external border; the consignment was not let in. |
1 | 0 | 11 | 26 | 39 | 31 | 108 (79.4%) | — |
| Alert A serious risk in a product on the EU market, needing rapid action. |
0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 (5.9%) | — |
| Information for attention A risk found, but the product is not on other members' markets, so they need not act rapidly. |
1 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 20 (14.7%) | — |
How problems were found
| Found by | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| At the EU border | 1 | 0 | 17 | 26 | 39 | 31 | 114 (83.8%) | — |
| Company's own check | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 12 (8.8%) | — |
| Official control on the market | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 9 (6.6%) | — |
| Consumer complaint or illness | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (0.7%) | — |
Did it reach the EU market?
Of the notifications whose record says either way, 15.8% 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.
| Year | Reached the market | Stopped before | Not stated | Share reached |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50.0% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| 2022 | 4 | 14 | 3 | 22.2% |
| 2023 | 7 | 26 | 0 | 21.2% |
| 2024 | 6 | 39 | 0 | 13.3% |
| 2025 | 2 | 32 | 0 | 5.9% |
Distributed to
| Country | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 0 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 15 | — |
| Netherlands | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | — |
| Belgium | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | — |
| Finland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | — |
| Denmark | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | — |
| France | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | — |
| Luxembourg | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | — |
| Norway | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | — |
| Poland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | — |
| Croatia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Destroyed | 1 | 1 | 8 | 18 | 32 | 17 | 77 (56.6%) | — |
| Re-dispatched or destroyed | 0 | 0 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 13 | 27 (19.9%) | — |
| Authorities or operators informed | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 17 (12.5%) | — |
| Detained or held under seal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 12 (8.8%) | — |
| Withdrawn from the market | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9 (6.6%) | — |
| Reinforced checks ordered | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 (2.2%) | — |
| Recalled from consumers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 (1.5%) | — |
Consumer recalls by year
| Year | Recalls | Share of notifications |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 2021 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 2022 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 2023 | 1 | 3.0% |
| 2024 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 2025 | 1 | 2.9% |
Rejections against import tonnes, by product
Border rejections over the last three years, measured against EU import tonnes of the same product from Kenya. A count alone misleads, because lots differ in size between origins and products. The last column is the typical rejected lot, from the member states that record the whole lot.
| Product | Border rejections | 1 rejection per | Rank | Typical rejected lot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peppers & chilies | 17 | 186 t | 1 of 7 | — |
| Other vegetables | 78 | 502 t | 1 of 7 | 0.8 t (68) |
Rank is among origins shipping the same product to the EU, highest rejection rate first. EU import quantities 2022–2024 (FAOSTAT). Lot weights come from RASFF border rejections since 2020, counted only where the notifying member state records whole lots rather than single packages; the figure in brackets is how many.
By food category
| Category | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fruits and Vegetables border rejections → Other, Other vegetables, Peppers & chilies |
2 | 0 | 19 | 28 | 42 | 32 | 123 (90.4%) | — |
| Cocoa and Cocoa Preparations, Coffee and Tea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 6 (4.4%) | — |
| Herbs and Spices | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 (2.9%) | — |
| Nuts, Nut Products and Seeds | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 (1.5%) | new |
| Fish and Fish Products | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (0.7%) | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pesticide residues | 1 | 0 | 19 | 29 | 41 | 33 | 123 (90.4%) | — |
| Mycotoxins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 (2.9%) | — |
| Pathogenic micro-organisms | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 (2.9%) | — |
| Natural toxins (other) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 (1.5%) | — |
| Heavy metals | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (0.7%) | — |
| No hazard recorded | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 (1.5%) | — |
By risk level
| Risk decision | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serious | 1 | 1 | 4 | 13 | 6 | 3 | 28 (20.6%) | — |
| Potentially serious | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 14 (10.3%) | — |
| Potential risk | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 12 (8.8%) | — |
| Not serious | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 25 | 23 | 57 (41.9%) | — |
| No risk | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 (6.6%) | — |
| Undecided | 1 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 (11.8%) | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| acephate Fruits and Vegetables |
0 | 0 | 15 | 11 | 21 | 11 | 58 | — |
| methamidophos Fruits and Vegetables |
0 | 0 | 15 | 10 | 11 | 6 | 42 | — |
| chlorpyrifos Fruits and Vegetables |
0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 15 | — |
| hexaconazole Fruits and Vegetables |
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 12 | — |
| carbendazim Fruits and Vegetables |
0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 9 | — |
| chlorfenapyr Fruits and Vegetables |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | — |
| bifenthrin Fruits and Vegetables |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | new |
| dimethomorph Fruits and Vegetables |
0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 | — |
| chlorothalonil Fruits and Vegetables |
0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | — |
| profenofos Fruits and Vegetables |
0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | — |
Other hazards
| Substance | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ochratoxin A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — |
| salmonella Fruits and Vegetables |
0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | — |
| pyrrolizidine alkaloids | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | — |
| mercury | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
By month
Pooled across 2020–2025. Each row is shaded against its own peak, so its season shows whatever its size. Border rejections peak in March; Alerts peak in January; Information notifications peak in May.
By notification type
| Type | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Border rejections | 4 | 9 | 15 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 11 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 12 | March |
| Alerts | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | January |
| Information notifications | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | May |
By hazard class
| Hazard class | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pesticide residues | 6 | 10 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 4 | 13 | 14 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 12 | March |
| Mycotoxins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | November |
| Pathogenic micro-organisms | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | January |
| Natural toxins (other) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | February |
| Heavy metals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | June |
Notifying member states
| Member state | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | 0 | 0 | 11 | 14 | 24 | 21 | 70 | — |
| Netherlands | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 12 | 30 | — |
| Germany | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 11 | — |
| Finland | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | — |
| Italy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | — |
| Belgium | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | — |
| Czechia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — |
| Norway | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | — |
| Poland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | — |
| Denmark | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | — |
Current EU check frequencies
Reg. (EU) 2019/1793 sets how often consignments of these products from Kenya are opened at the EU border.
| Product | Hazard | Checks | Annex |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peppers & Chilies | Pesticide residues | 20% | I |
| Other Vegetables | Pesticide residues | 10% | I |
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 "Kenya food safety record, 2020–2025: EU RASFF", RASFF Trends, 2026-10-14, https://rasff.fruit-risk.com/reports/kenya.html.