The European Commission has recently updated its import controls regulation to increase checks for aflatoxins, pesticides, and microbiological contaminants. The changes were made after the 2021 Alert and Cooperation Network Report identified reoccurring non-compliance with EU agrifood legislation regarding aflatoxins, pesticides, and microbial contaminants in food.

The regulation temporarily alters the rate of official controls and sets certain emergency measures on the entry of specific goods into the EU from non-EU countries. Changes to import controls include:

• Palm oil from Ghana must be accompanied by an official certificate that contains testing results for product samples and will be subject to a 50 percent rate of physical inspection and identity checks
• Ethylene oxide and food additives containing locust bean or guar gum from India, Malaysia, and Turkey will be subject to a 20 percent rate of physical inspection and identity checks
• Dried spices from India will be subject to checks for ethylene oxide at a rate of 20 percent
• Nutmeg from India will no longer be subject to a 20 percent rate of physical inspection and identity checks due to improved aflatoxin compliance
• Nutmeg from Indonesia will be subject to a control rate of 30 percent due to aflatoxin
• Hazelnuts from Georgia will be subject to a control rate of 30 percent due to aflatoxin
• Oranges from Egypt will be subject a 20 percent rate of physical inspection and identity checks
• Rice from India and Pakistan will be subject to a 5 percent rate of checks for pesticide residues
• Yardlong beans and guava from India will be subject to a control rate of 20 percent
• Peppers (excluding sweet peppers) from Thailand will be subject to a 30 percent rate of checks for pesticide residues.

Additionally, some controls have remained unchanged. Peanuts, peanut butter, and peanut paste from the U.S. will continue to be subject to a 20 percent rate of checks for aflatoxins. Galia melons from Honduras will remain subject to a 10 percent control rate for Salmonella. Sesame seeds from Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Sudan, as well as black pepper from Brazil, will continue to be subject to Salmonella controls at a rate of 50 percent.