Subject: Contaminated raisins exported by Turkey to Europe
Recent analyses by the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority of raisins imported into the EU from Turkey and sold in multinational supermarket chains have caused consternation on domestic markets and throughout Europe. The raisins analysed were found to contain a cocktail of pesticides banned in the EU, including residues of substances that are known endocrine disruptors that cause reproductive disorders and are probably carcinogenic or mutagenic. In fact, over the period between 2018 and 2020, the number of pesticides detected in raisins imported from Turkey almost doubled.
This is a major health concern for consumers of superfoods such as raisins and bring to light serious problems regarding the management of Turkish exports.
Given the dominant position of Turkish raisins on the EU market:
1. Will the Commission take measures to suspend raisin imports from Turkey?
2. What steps will it take to restore the competitiveness of the European raisin sector in the face of imports from third countries that fail to comply with minimum EU requirements?
Answer given by Ms Kyriakides on behalf of the European Commission
(14 February 2022)
1. By implementing the EU monitoring programme as well as EU Member States’ National Control Programmes, the Commission and the Member States closely examine whether imported food products, placed on the EU market, comply with Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) for pesticide residues, as laid down by Regulation (EC) 396/2005 (1). The outcome of these programmes is reflected in overview reports published by the European Food Safety Authority (2). At this point, the Commission has not identified the need for imposing additional controls on imports of table grapes/raisins from Turkey. Member States may provide any relevant information in that respect in the working group set up under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1793 (3).
2. Producer Organisations, recognised for grape, including grape intended for drying, can carry out operational programmes aiming at the concentration of supply, the placing on the market of the products of its members, as well as the modernisation and innovation of the dried grapes sector. The Commission continues to encourage grape producers to affiliate to producer organisations to benefit from the common market organisation measures intended to address market imbalances and to strengthen their negotiating power in the supply chain. Dried grapes can be included in the list of products distributed under the EU school fruit, vegetables and milk scheme, with the involvement by the national health authorities. Also, payments under the Rural Development programmes can play a key role in stabilising farmers’ income.
⋅1∙ Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 February 2005 on maximum residue levels of pesticides in or on food and feed of
plant and animal origin and amending Council Directive 91/414/EEC.
⋅2∙ https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/6491
⋅3∙ https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:02019R1793-20211123&qid=1642062678132&from=EN