Dioxins and PCBs are toxic chemicals that persist in the environment and build up in the food chain. Longer term exposure has been shown to harm the nervous, immune and hormone systems.
77 notifications since 1 January 2020 named dioxins and PCBs, under 1% of all EU notifications in that time. 16 in the 365 days to 8 November 2026, against 9 in the 365 days before, up 78%. 1% were border rejections and 21% had a serious risk decision.
The origins named most often were Germany (11), France (9) and India (7). The product categories named most often were feed materials (40), feed additives (12) and feed premixtures (5). The products named most often were fish meal (4), palm oil (3) and beef (2).
Explainer sources, checked 18 October 2026: Dioxins and PCBs, EFSA; Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915 on contaminants, consolidated text of 19 August 2026, Annex I.
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 dioxins and PCBs
The newest 25 of 77, newest first, each built from fixed word lists. The reference opens the official record.
- Information for attention notified by Sweden: dioxins and PCBs in a feed material from Malaysia, risk decision not serious, reference 2026.8120, validated 14 September 2026.
- Information for follow up notified by the Netherlands: dioxins and PCBs and an unauthorised additive in a feed additive from the United States, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.7836, validated 4 September 2026.
- Information for attention notified by Sweden: dioxins and PCBs in a feed material from Malaysia, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.7293, validated 18 August 2026.
- Information for follow up notified by Belgium: dioxins and PCBs in a feed premixture from Italy, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.6318, validated 15 July 2026.
- Information for attention notified by Italy: dioxins and PCBs in meat from Italy, risk decision serious, reference 2026.5660, validated 26 June 2026.
- Information for follow up notified by France: dioxins and PCBs in a feed premixture from Estonia, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.4891, validated 3 June 2026.
- Information for follow up notified by the Netherlands: dioxins and PCBs in a feed material from Germany, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.4795, validated 1 June 2026.
- Information for follow up notified by Germany: dioxins and PCBs in a feed material from China, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.3571, validated 24 April 2026.
- Information for follow up notified by Sweden: dioxins and PCBs in a feed material from Singapore, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.1518, validated 24 February 2026.
- Information for follow up notified by Germany: dioxins and PCBs in a feed material from Germany, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.0757, validated 29 January 2026.
- Information for follow up notified by Belgium: dioxins and PCBs and vitamins, minerals or other nutrients above safe levels in a feed material from India, risk decision potentially serious, reference 2026.0440, validated 20 January 2026.
- Information for follow up notified by Belgium: dioxins and PCBs in a feed material from Belgium, risk decision potential risk, reference 2025.9984, validated 12 December 2025.
- Information for attention notified by Germany: dioxins and PCBs in pet food from India, risk decision potentially serious, reference 2025.9534, validated 28 November 2025.
- Information for attention notified by the Netherlands: dioxins and PCBs in mackerel from Belgium, risk decision potentially serious, reference 2025.9292, validated 24 November 2025.
- Alert notified by Germany: dioxins and PCBs in a feed material from Poland, risk decision potentially serious, reference 2025.8917, validated 14 November 2025.
- Information for follow up notified by Germany: dioxins and PCBs in a feed material from Poland, risk decision potential risk, reference 2025.8897, validated 14 November 2025.
- Alert notified by Germany: dioxins and PCBs in a feed material from Poland, risk decision potentially serious, reference 2025.7935, validated 15 October 2025.
- Information for follow up notified by the Netherlands: dioxins and PCBs in palm oil from Germany, risk decision not serious, reference 2025.7874, validated 14 October 2025.
- Information for follow up notified by the Netherlands: dioxins and PCBs in a feed material from Belgium, risk decision potential risk, reference 2025.7123, validated 7 October 2025.
- Information for follow up notified by the Netherlands: dioxins and PCBs in a feed additive from France, risk decision not serious, reference 2025.7304, validated 24 September 2025.
- Information for follow up notified by Belgium: dioxins and PCBs in a feed material from Canada, risk decision potential risk, reference 2025.6237, validated 14 August 2025.
- Alert notified by France: pesticide residues and dioxins and PCBs in duck meat from the United Kingdom, risk decision serious, reference 2025.5995, validated 6 August 2025.
- Information for attention notified by Italy: dioxins and PCBs in tuna from France, risk decision serious, reference 2025.0549, validated 27 January 2025.
- Information for follow up notified by the Netherlands: dioxins and PCBs in a feed material from Germany, risk decision potential risk, reference 2024.8112, validated 19 December 2024.
- Alert notified by the Netherlands: dioxins and PCBs in beef from the Netherlands, risk decision serious, reference 2024.9276, validated 16 December 2024.
Other process and environmental contaminants: mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOSH, MOAH), 3 MCPD and glycidyl esters, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH).
The numbers
| Year | Notifications |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 10 |
| 2021 | 6 |
| 2022 | 6 |
| 2023 | 14 |
| 2024 | 18 |
| 2025 | 12 |
| 2026 (to 8 Nov 2026) | 11 |
| Type | Notifications | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Border rejection | 1 | 1% |
| Alert | 11 | 14% |
| Information for follow up | 39 | 51% |
| Information for attention | 26 | 34% |
| Risk decision | Notifications | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Serious | 16 | 21% |
| Potentially serious | 8 | 10% |
| Potential risk | 21 | 27% |
| Not serious | 26 | 34% |
| Undecided | 6 | 8% |
| Product | Notifications |
|---|---|
| Fish meal | 4 |
| Palm oil | 3 |
| Beef | 2 |
| Apricots | 1 |
| Chicken meat | 1 |
| Duck meat | 1 |
| Eels | 1 |
| Eggs | 1 |
| Feed grain | 1 |
| Fish | 1 |
| Origin | Notifications | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | 11 | 14% |
| France | 9 | 12% |
| India | 7 | 9% |
| Poland | 7 | 9% |
| Belgium | 5 | 6% |
| Malaysia | 5 | 6% |
| Origin not given | 5 | 6% |
| China | 3 | 4% |
| Italy | 3 | 4% |
| Netherlands | 3 | 4% |
| Czechia | 2 | 3% |
| Estonia | 2 | 3% |
| Product category | Notifications | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Feed materials | 40 | 52% |
| Feed additives | 12 | 16% |
| Feed premixtures | 5 | 6% |
| Fats and oils | 4 | 5% |
| Fish and fish products | 4 | 5% |
| Meat other than poultry | 3 | 4% |
| Poultry meat | 3 | 4% |
| Food additives and flavourings | 1 | 1% |
| Animal by products | 1 | 1% |
| Compound feeds | 1 | 1% |
| Eggs and egg products | 1 | 1% |
| Fruit and vegetables | 1 | 1% |
| Notifying country | Notifications | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 26 | 34% |
| Germany | 12 | 16% |
| Belgium | 11 | 14% |
| France | 5 | 6% |
| Denmark | 4 | 5% |
| Spain | 4 | 5% |
| Poland | 4 | 5% |
| Sweden | 4 | 5% |
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