The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority ordered company Virde s.r.o. to withdraw food supplement Virde Citrus PARADISI grapefruit extract from the market. Two lots of the extract from grapefruit seeds in the package ŕ 50 ml, use-by-date 04/2014 and 02/2014 failed to comply with the requirements laid down by Regulation (EC) No. 396/2005 on maximum residue levels of pesticides in or on food. Pursuant to this Regulation, presence of substance Benzalkonium chloride in maximum concentration of 0.01 mg/l is permitted. However, the laboratory analysis detected the substance in the amount that was more than ten times higher – 4,690 mg/l and 5,330 mg/l. In compliance with Regulation No. 178/2002, the foodstuff was found to be injurious to health.

The producer placed all 928 pieces of the food supplement on the market via company PHOENIX lékárenský velkoobchod a.s., MILOTA s.r.o., foreign branches of Virde SLOVAKIA s.r.o. company, and minor customers. The concentrated extract from grapefruit seeds is imported by Prague company Biomedica s.r.o., country of origin of raw material is Ireland. The accompanying documentation showed that company Biomedica provided the producer, company Virde, s.r.o., with written statement that substance Benzalkonium chloride had not been added or used during the production.

Benzalkonium chloride is a pesticide and it is also used as a preservative in non-food sector. Consumption of a foodstuff which is contaminated by this substance is not recommended. The information about the foodstuff which is injurious to health was put into the Rapid Alert System of Food and Feed (RASFF).