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Based on the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) notification, the Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority has withdrawn from the market the whole consignment of ground ginger originating in Nigeria. The ginger was imported to the Czech Republic from the Netherlands. After CAFIA´s immediate intervention, the importer has withdrawn the whole consignment, which represented 500 kg of this spice packed in 25 kg bags, from the circulation. Thus, consumers could not have been threatened by this contaminated ginger. Withdrawn spice will be returned to the exporter in the Netherlands.

The ginger contained non-permitted amount of aflatoxins which belong among dangerous substances threatening human health. They fall into the group of so called mycotoxins that are produced by certain moulds attacking mainly cereals, dry shell produces and other foodstuffs. As it is nearly impossible to remove aflatoxins from foodstuffs, contaminated goods must be destroyed.

The European Commission pays special attention to the inspection of aflatoxins in foodstuffs. For this reason, the number of inspections of selected dry shell produces, such as, for example, pistachios from Iran or Turkey, peanuts from China or Egypt, hazelnuts and dried figs from Turkey, at EU points of entry has been increased. In the Czech Republic, such point of entry  is in Rudná u Prahy where CAFIA inspectors take samples for aflatoxin  analysis. Non-complying consignments that exceeded the maximum aflatoxin levels must be either destroyed or re-exported. The European Commission prepares new stricter requirements applicable to imports of pistachios from Iran just due to the high number of retained contaminated consignments. The objective of this measure is to improve existing conditions.

CAFIA inspects aflatoxins´ content not only at imports of selected commodities. In order to analyse this dangerous substance also on the internal market of the Czech Republic, CAFIA takes samples within continuous monitoring of foreign substances during the whole year. Only from 1 May to the end of last year, CAFIA analysed 183 samples of foodstuffs 25 of which have not been released on the Czech market, and therefore nor on the Community market, or have had to be immediately removed from the market.