Cobalt is counted here when a notification names it, in food or migrating from a food contact material. Metals reach food from the environment, from industry and from processing equipment.
31 notifications since 1 January 2020 named cobalt, under 1% of all EU notifications in that time. 4 in the 365 days to 8 November 2026, against 6 in the 365 days before, down 33%. 6% were border rejections and 52% had a serious risk decision.
The origins named most often were China (20), Germany (2) and Japan (2). The product categories named most often were food contact materials (27), compound feeds (1) and feed materials (1). The products named most often were plates and bowls (10), cups and mugs (8) and pots and pans (7).
Explainer sources, checked 18 October 2026: Metals as contaminants in food, EFSA.
Counts start on 1 January 2020 and run to 8 November 2026, the day the list was last read. A notification that names two countries of origin counts for each. Findings come from our word list matched against the EU subject line, which is never shown; 96% of all notifications match it, the rest count as other finding. Each reference links to the official record on RASFF Window. How this works.
Latest notifications that named cobalt
The newest 25 of 31, newest first, each built from fixed word lists. The reference opens the official record.
- Information for follow up notified by Slovenia: cobalt and migration from a food contact material in pots and pans from China, risk decision potentially serious, reference 2026.6452, validated 21 July 2026.
- Information for follow up notified by Germany: cobalt and migration from a food contact material in plates and bowls from Japan, risk decision potentially serious, reference 2026.4196, validated 12 May 2026.
- Information for follow up notified by Austria: cobalt and labelling faults in baking tins and moulds from Poland, risk decision potential risk, reference 2025.10339, validated 13 January 2026.
- Alert notified by Austria: cobalt in plates and bowls from China, risk decision serious, reference 2025.10193, validated 18 December 2025.
- Information for follow up notified by Germany: nickel, cobalt, aluminium and 2 more findings in pots and pans from China, risk decision potential risk, reference 2025.6099, validated 19 September 2025.
- Information for follow up notified by Germany: cobalt and migration from a food contact material in plates and bowls from China, risk decision potential risk, reference 2025.6311, validated 19 August 2025.
- Alert notified by Slovenia: lead, nickel, cobalt and 3 more findings in cups and mugs from China, risk decision serious, reference 2025.5916, validated 4 August 2025.
- Alert notified by France: cobalt in pots and pans from China, risk decision serious, reference 2025.3693, validated 19 May 2025.
- Alert notified by Germany: cobalt and migration from a food contact material in pots and pans from China, risk decision serious, reference 2025.3263, validated 30 April 2025.
- Alert notified by France: cobalt in plates and bowls from China, risk decision serious, reference 2024.8939, validated 3 December 2024.
- Information for attention notified by France: lead and cobalt in plates and bowls from China, risk decision serious, reference 2024.6766, validated 9 September 2024.
- Alert notified by Austria: arsenic, cobalt and migration from a food contact material in plates and bowls from China, risk decision serious, reference 2024.5999, validated 6 August 2024.
- Alert notified by Germany: cadmium, lead, cobalt and 2 more findings in cups and mugs from China, risk decision potentially serious, reference 2024.5224, validated 8 July 2024.
- Information for attention notified by France: cobalt in pots and pans from Türkiye, risk decision serious, reference 2024.4263, validated 3 June 2024.
- Information for follow up notified by Germany: nickel, cobalt and migration from a food contact material in plates and bowls from the Netherlands, risk decision potential risk, reference 2023.8658, validated 14 December 2023.
- Alert notified by France: cobalt in cups and mugs from China, risk decision potentially serious, reference 2023.7444, validated 31 October 2023.
- Information for follow up notified by Belgium: cobalt and migration from a food contact material in a food contact material from Germany, risk decision not serious, reference 2023.4609, validated 10 July 2023.
- Alert notified by France: cobalt and aluminium in cups and mugs from China, risk decision not serious, reference 2023.4025, validated 15 June 2023.
- Alert notified by Belgium: arsenic, nickel, cobalt and 1 more findings in pots and pans from China, risk decision serious, reference 2023.2222, validated 31 March 2023.
- Alert notified by France: arsenic, cobalt and aluminium in plates and bowls from Spain, risk decision serious, reference 2023.0983, validated 10 February 2023.
- Alert notified by Germany: nickel, cobalt, manganese and 1 more findings in pots and pans from China and Germany, risk decision serious, reference 2022.6920, validated 28 November 2022.
- Information for follow up notified by France: cobalt in cups and mugs from China, risk decision undecided, reference 2022.1954, validated 1 April 2022.
- Border rejection notified by Spain: cobalt and an unauthorised additive in cat food from Canada, risk decision no risk, reference 2022.0458, validated 25 January 2022.
- Alert notified by Germany: nickel and cobalt in food supplements from Switzerland, risk decision serious, reference 2022.0259, validated 14 January 2022.
- Alert notified by Germany: lead, cobalt and migration from a food contact material in plates and bowls from China, risk decision serious, reference 2022.0086, validated 5 January 2022.
The numbers
| Year | Notifications |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 4 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 5 |
| 2023 | 6 |
| 2024 | 5 |
| 2025 | 6 |
| 2026 (to 8 Nov 2026) | 3 |
| Type | Notifications | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Border rejection | 2 | 6% |
| Alert | 18 | 58% |
| Information for follow up | 9 | 29% |
| Information for attention | 2 | 6% |
| Risk decision | Notifications | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Serious | 16 | 52% |
| Potentially serious | 4 | 13% |
| Potential risk | 4 | 13% |
| Not serious | 3 | 10% |
| Undecided | 3 | 10% |
| No risk | 1 | 3% |
| Product | Notifications |
|---|---|
| Plates and bowls | 10 |
| Cups and mugs | 8 |
| Pots and pans | 7 |
| Baking tins and moulds | 1 |
| Cat food | 1 |
| Food supplements | 1 |
| Origin | Notifications | Share |
|---|---|---|
| China | 20 | 65% |
| Germany | 2 | 6% |
| Japan | 2 | 6% |
| Netherlands | 2 | 6% |
| Canada | 1 | 3% |
| Switzerland | 1 | 3% |
| Spain | 1 | 3% |
| Poland | 1 | 3% |
| Türkiye | 1 | 3% |
| United States | 1 | 3% |
| Product category | Notifications | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Food contact materials | 27 | 87% |
| Compound feeds | 1 | 3% |
| Feed materials | 1 | 3% |
| Food supplements and dietetic foods | 1 | 3% |
| Pet food | 1 | 3% |
| Notifying country | Notifications | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | 12 | 39% |
| France | 8 | 26% |
| Austria | 3 | 10% |
| Belgium | 3 | 10% |
| Spain | 2 | 6% |
| Slovenia | 2 | 6% |
| Luxembourg | 1 | 3% |
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