Spain in RASFF, 2020–2025
← All origin reports Spain: border rejections, last 3 years →
Spain was the origin of 1,117 of 25,645 EU food notifications in 2020–2025 (4.4%), ranking 6th of 160 origins. 27% concerned fish and fish products; the most-cited hazard class was metals, and the most-cited substance mercury.
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 | 140 | 4.0% | 7 |
| 2021 | 221 | 5.3% | 5 |
| 2022 | 162 | 4.1% | 6 |
| 2023 | 203 | 4.8% | 7 |
| 2024 | 193 | 4.0% | 8 |
| 2025 | 198 | 4.0% | 9 |
| 2020–2025 | 1,117 | 4.4% | 6 |
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. |
3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 13 (1.2%) | — |
| Alert A serious risk in a product on the EU market, needing rapid action. |
78 | 113 | 89 | 92 | 97 | 112 | 581 (52.0%) | +44% |
| Information for attention A risk found, but the product is not on other members' markets, so they need not act rapidly. |
40 | 74 | 42 | 59 | 64 | 47 | 326 (29.2%) | +18% |
| Information for follow-up A risk in a product on, or possibly on, other members' markets; follow-up needed, not rapid action. |
19 | 33 | 29 | 50 | 29 | 37 | 197 (17.6%) | +95% |
How problems were found
Details available for 1,116 of 1,117 notifications.
| Found by | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Official control on the market | 78 | 129 | 92 | 101 | 104 | 90 | 594 (53.2%) | +15% |
| Company's own check | 43 | 69 | 47 | 75 | 60 | 68 | 362 (32.4%) | +58% |
| Consumer complaint or illness | 13 | 17 | 19 | 16 | 12 | 16 | 93 (8.3%) | +23% |
| Monitoring or surveillance sample | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 15 | 34 (3.0%) | — |
| Other | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 18 (1.6%) | — |
| At the EU border | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 15 (1.3%) | — |
Did it reach the EU market?
Of the notifications whose record says either way, 93.8% 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.
Details available for 1,116 of 1,117 notifications.
| Year | Reached the market | Stopped before | Not stated | Share reached |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 123 | 10 | 7 | 92.5% |
| 2021 | 197 | 8 | 16 | 96.1% |
| 2022 | 137 | 12 | 13 | 91.9% |
| 2023 | 174 | 10 | 19 | 94.6% |
| 2024 | 160 | 15 | 18 | 91.4% |
| 2025 | 164 | 8 | 25 | 95.3% |
Distributed to
| Country | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 40 | 86 | 77 | 103 | 116 | 100 | 522 | +150% |
| France | 34 | 55 | 46 | 65 | 56 | 68 | 324 | +100% |
| Italy | 26 | 66 | 54 | 56 | 58 | 56 | 316 | +115% |
| Germany | 20 | 42 | 41 | 44 | 26 | 42 | 215 | +110% |
| Portugal | 25 | 42 | 34 | 38 | 41 | 29 | 209 | +16% |
| Netherlands | 24 | 35 | 29 | 43 | 25 | 38 | 194 | +58% |
| Belgium | 22 | 32 | 34 | 46 | 19 | 28 | 181 | +27% |
| Andorra | 14 | 30 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 13 | 123 | −7% |
| Poland | 8 | 25 | 16 | 19 | 15 | 16 | 99 | — |
| United Kingdom | 13 | 19 | 11 | 22 | 12 | 14 | 91 | +8% |
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 | 49 | 73 | 76 | 94 | 83 | 103 | 478 (42.8%) | +110% |
| Withdrawn from the market | 49 | 70 | 60 | 88 | 76 | 91 | 434 (38.9%) | +86% |
| Recalled from consumers | 20 | 36 | 24 | 34 | 24 | 35 | 173 (15.5%) | +75% |
| Detained or held under seal | 23 | 37 | 25 | 23 | 21 | 28 | 157 (14.1%) | +22% |
| Not stated | 25 | 35 | 22 | 20 | 27 | 16 | 145 (13.0%) | −36% |
| Destroyed | 11 | 22 | 3 | 25 | 20 | 25 | 106 (9.5%) | +127% |
| Re-dispatched | 2 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 55 (4.9%) | — |
| Reinforced checks ordered | 2 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 29 (2.6%) | — |
| Treated, relabelled or diverted | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 22 (2.0%) | — |
| Re-dispatched or destroyed | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 (0.5%) | — |
| Released to the market | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 (0.4%) | — |
Consumer recalls by year
| Year | Recalls | Share of notifications |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 20 | 14.3% |
| 2021 | 36 | 16.3% |
| 2022 | 24 | 14.8% |
| 2023 | 34 | 16.7% |
| 2024 | 24 | 12.4% |
| 2025 | 35 | 17.8% |
By food category
| Category | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fish and Fish Products border rejections → Other, Other fish/seafood, Squid & octopus, Tuna |
47 | 66 | 41 | 53 | 53 | 42 | 302 (27.0%) | −11% |
| Fruits and Vegetables | 20 | 13 | 12 | 24 | 26 | 33 | 128 (11.5%) | +65% |
| Meat and Meat Products (Other Than Poultry) border rejections → Pork |
9 | 21 | 6 | 19 | 16 | 20 | 91 (8.1%) | — |
| Herbs and Spices | 3 | 14 | 9 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 72 (6.4%) | — |
| Dietetic Foods, Food Supplements and Fortified Foods | 6 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 67 (6.0%) | — |
| Bivalve Molluscs and Products Thereof | 1 | 21 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 9 | 65 (5.8%) | — |
| Cereals and Bakery Products | 9 | 15 | 6 | 16 | 8 | 6 | 60 (5.4%) | — |
| Nuts, Nut Products and Seeds | 14 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 14 | 8 | 55 (4.9%) | −43% |
| Other Food Product / Mixed | 5 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 36 (3.2%) | — |
| Poultry Meat and Poultry Meat Products | 3 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 34 (3.0%) | — |
| Prepared Dishes and Snacks | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 13 | 31 (2.8%) | — |
| Milk and Milk Products | 3 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 26 (2.3%) | — |
| Crustaceans and Products Thereof | 4 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 21 (1.9%) | — |
| Cephalopods and Products Thereof | 3 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 19 (1.7%) | — |
| Cocoa and Cocoa Preparations, Coffee and Tea | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 19 (1.7%) | — |
| Fats and Oils | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 18 (1.6%) | — |
| Food Additives and Flavourings | 0 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 13 (1.2%) | — |
| Confectionery | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 12 (1.1%) | — |
| Alcoholic Beverages | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 (0.9%) | — |
| Non-Alcoholic Beverages | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 10 (0.9%) | — |
| Soups, Broths, Sauces and Condiments | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 10 (0.9%) | — |
| Ices and Desserts | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7 (0.6%) | — |
| Eggs and Egg Products | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 (0.4%) | — |
| Wine | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 (0.2%) | — |
| Feed Materials border rejections → | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (0.1%) | — |
| Food Contact Materials | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (0.1%) | — |
| Gastropods | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (0.1%) | — |
| Honey and Royal Jelly | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 (0.1%) | new |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metals | 33 | 41 | 27 | 34 | 51 | 33 | 219 (19.6%) | +0% |
| Pathogenic micro-organisms | 15 | 35 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 36 | 203 (18.2%) | +140% |
| Pesticide residues | 17 | 31 | 20 | 23 | 26 | 25 | 142 (12.7%) | +47% |
| Mycotoxins | 10 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 20 | 60 (5.4%) | +100% |
| Food additives and flavourings | 12 | 31 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 57 (5.1%) | −75% |
| Natural toxins (other) | 0 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 32 (2.9%) | — |
| Allergens | 1 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 31 (2.8%) | — |
| Biological contaminants | 2 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 23 (2.1%) | — |
| Parasitic infestation | 0 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 20 (1.8%) | — |
| Environmental pollutants | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 19 (1.7%) | — |
| Composition | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 18 (1.6%) | — |
| Industrial contaminants | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 9 (0.8%) | — |
| Novel food | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 (0.4%) | — |
| Residues of veterinary medicinal products | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 (0.4%) | — |
| Migration | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 (0.3%) | — |
| Microbial contaminants (other) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (0.2%) | — |
| Foreign bodies | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (0.1%) | — |
| Foreign bodies / physical danger | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (0.1%) | — |
| Fraud investigation | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (0.1%) | — |
| Gmo / novel food | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 (0.1%) | — |
| Non-pathogenic micro-organisms | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 (0.1%) | new |
| Organoleptic aspects | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (0.1%) | — |
| Radiation | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 (0.1%) | — |
| No hazard recorded | 47 | 50 | 36 | 47 | 46 | 46 | 272 (24.4%) | −2% |
By risk level
| Risk decision | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serious | 100 | 155 | 115 | 119 | 136 | 125 | 750 (67.1%) | +25% |
| Potentially serious | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 21 | 40 | 92 (8.2%) | — |
| Potential risk | 0 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 24 | 23 | 70 (6.3%) | — |
| Not serious | 24 | 46 | 10 | 26 | 12 | 10 | 128 (11.5%) | −58% |
| No risk | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 (0.2%) | — |
| Undecided | 15 | 20 | 36 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 75 (6.7%) | −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 Meat and Meat Products (Other Than Poultry) |
10 | 22 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 42 | −100% |
| chlorpyrifos | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 18 | — |
| chlorpyrifos-methyl | 0 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10 | — |
| lambda-cyhalothrin | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 10 | — |
| flonicamid | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 9 | — |
| acetamiprid | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | — |
| chlorate | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | — |
| thiamethoxam | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | — |
| bifenthrin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | — |
| chlorfenapyr | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | — |
Other hazards
| Substance | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mercury Fish and Fish Products |
27 | 31 | 21 | 30 | 45 | 30 | 184 | +11% |
| salmonella Meat and Meat Products (Other Than Poultry) |
12 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 23 | 22 | 109 | +83% |
| listeria monocytogenes Meat and Meat Products (Other Than Poultry), Fish and Fish Products |
1 | 7 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 44 | — |
| E 300 - ascorbic acid Fish and Fish Products |
8 | 23 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 33 | — |
| aflatoxins | 6 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 12 | 32 | — |
| cadmium Fish and Fish Products |
5 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 27 | — |
| escherichia coli Fish and Fish Products |
1 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 25 | — |
| ochratoxin A | 2 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 25 | — |
| sulphites Fish and Fish Products |
4 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 23 | — |
| histamine Fish and Fish Products |
2 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 16 | — |
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 June; Alerts peak in October; Information notifications peak in October.
By notification type
| Type | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Border rejections | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | June |
| Alerts | 34 | 36 | 48 | 52 | 51 | 39 | 60 | 57 | 43 | 61 | 50 | 50 | October |
| Information notifications | 29 | 42 | 44 | 38 | 39 | 38 | 50 | 31 | 42 | 58 | 58 | 54 | October |
By hazard class
| Hazard class | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metals | 4 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 21 | 16 | 28 | 22 | 17 | 26 | 21 | 16 | July |
| Pathogenic micro-organisms | 9 | 12 | 20 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 27 | 19 | 20 | October |
| Pesticide residues | 14 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 18 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 15 | July |
| Mycotoxins | 8 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 9 | May |
| Food additives and flavourings | 4 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 14 | 7 | 5 | October |
Notifying member states
| Member state | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 40 | 55 | 36 | 51 | 59 | 50 | 291 | +25% |
| Italy | 34 | 79 | 44 | 42 | 47 | 40 | 286 | +18% |
| France | 10 | 20 | 19 | 22 | 27 | 24 | 122 | +140% |
| Germany | 7 | 24 | 14 | 18 | 10 | 21 | 94 | — |
| Netherlands | 10 | 6 | 8 | 16 | 11 | 22 | 73 | +120% |
| Belgium | 5 | 8 | 14 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 52 | — |
| Portugal | 7 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 30 | — |
| Poland | 2 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 28 | — |
| Denmark | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 24 | — |
| Finland | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 14 | — |
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 "Spain food safety record, 2020–2025: EU RASFF", RASFF Trends, 2026-11-08, https://rasff.fruit-risk.com/reports/spain.html.