Food additives are substances added for a technical purpose, such as preserving, colouring or thickening. In the EU each one needs an authorisation for the food it is used in; these notifications report additives used without one.
424 notifications since 1 January 2020 named an unauthorised additive, 1% of all EU notifications in that time. 33 in the 365 days to 8 November 2026, against 47 in the 365 days before, down 30%. 33% were border rejections and 25% had a serious risk decision.
The origins named most often were China (51), Spain (41) and Brazil (27). The product categories named most often were confectionery (83), fruit and vegetables (67) and fish and fish products (50). The products named most often were jelly sweets (61), tuna (39) and mangoes (26).
Explainer sources, checked 18 October 2026: Food additives, European Commission; Food additives, 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 an unauthorised additive
The newest 25 of 424, newest first, each built from fixed word lists. The reference opens the official record.
- Border rejection notified by Germany: an unauthorised additive in pangasius from Vietnam, risk decision not serious, reference 2026.9800, validated 4 November 2026.
- Information for follow up notified by France: an unauthorised additive in a feed material from Denmark, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.8632, validated 29 September 2026.
- Information for follow up notified by Greece: an unauthorised additive in food additives from Belgium, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.8633, validated 29 September 2026.
- Information for attention notified by Belgium: pesticide residues and an unauthorised additive in a feed additive from China, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.8380, validated 22 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.
- Alert notified by Germany: an unauthorised additive and foreign bodies in food additives from the Netherlands, risk decision potentially serious, reference 2026.7812, validated 3 September 2026.
- Alert notified by Germany: an unauthorised additive in confectionery from Spain, risk decision serious, reference 2026.7478, validated 24 August 2026.
- Alert notified by Sweden: an unauthorised additive in jelly sweets from South Korea, risk decision serious, reference 2026.7167, validated 12 August 2026.
- Information for attention notified by Germany: lead, copper, an unauthorised additive and 1 more findings in a feed additive from Ukraine, risk decision not serious, reference 2026.7096, validated 10 August 2026.
- Border rejection notified by Poland: an unauthorised additive and unauthorised novel food in a sauce or condiment from Japan, risk decision not serious, reference 2026.6947, validated 5 August 2026.
- Information for follow up notified by Finland: an unauthorised additive in sweets from China, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.6294, validated 15 July 2026.
- Information for follow up notified by Austria: an unauthorised additive in jelly sweets from China, risk decision potentially serious, reference 2026.6185, validated 10 July 2026.
- Border rejection notified by Greece: an unauthorised additive in dressings from Türkiye, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.5585, validated 24 June 2026.
- Border rejection notified by Italy: an unauthorised additive in instant noodles from Sri Lanka, risk decision not serious, reference 2026.5372, validated 18 June 2026.
- Border rejection notified by Spain: an unauthorised additive in peaches from China, risk decision not serious, reference 2026.5257, validated 15 June 2026.
- Information for follow up notified by Germany: copper and an unauthorised additive in compound feed from Germany, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.5152, validated 10 June 2026.
- Alert notified by Sweden: an unauthorised additive in jelly sweets from China, risk decision serious, reference 2026.5088, validated 9 June 2026.
- Border rejection notified by Latvia: an unauthorised additive and labelling faults in jelly sweets from China, risk decision serious, reference 2026.4812, validated 1 June 2026.
- Information for attention notified by Spain: an unauthorised additive in sausages from Spain, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.4766, validated 29 May 2026.
- Border rejection notified by Finland: an unauthorised additive in juices from the Philippines, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.4729, validated 29 May 2026.
- Border rejection notified by Poland: an unauthorised additive and unauthorised novel food in food supplements from India, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.4687, validated 28 May 2026.
- Information for follow up notified by Slovenia: an unauthorised additive in liquid food supplements from India, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.4509, validated 21 May 2026.
- Information for follow up notified by Ireland: an unauthorised additive and illegal import or unapproved establishment in food additives of unknown origin, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.3047, validated 10 April 2026.
- Information for follow up notified by Finland: an unauthorised additive in a cereal or bakery product of unknown origin, risk decision not serious, reference 2026.2993, validated 8 April 2026.
- Border rejection notified by Spain: an unauthorised additive in peaches from China, risk decision serious, reference 2026.2595, validated 26 March 2026.
Other additives and colours: unauthorised colours, vitamins, minerals or other nutrients above safe levels, sulphites above the permitted level.
The numbers
| Year | Notifications |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 41 |
| 2021 | 153 |
| 2022 | 50 |
| 2023 | 60 |
| 2024 | 51 |
| 2025 | 40 |
| 2026 (to 8 Nov 2026) | 29 |
| Type | Notifications | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Border rejection | 138 | 33% |
| Alert | 100 | 24% |
| Information for follow up | 106 | 25% |
| Information for attention | 80 | 19% |
| Risk decision | Notifications | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Serious | 107 | 25% |
| Potentially serious | 17 | 4% |
| Potential risk | 51 | 12% |
| Not serious | 160 | 38% |
| Undecided | 77 | 18% |
| No risk | 12 | 3% |
| Product | Notifications |
|---|---|
| Jelly sweets | 61 |
| Tuna | 39 |
| Mangoes | 26 |
| Thickeners | 16 |
| Food additives | 14 |
| Cassava | 13 |
| Food supplements | 10 |
| Flour | 7 |
| Noodle dishes | 6 |
| Soft drinks | 6 |
| Origin | Notifications | Share |
|---|---|---|
| China | 51 | 12% |
| Spain | 41 | 10% |
| Brazil | 27 | 6% |
| Origin not given | 26 | 6% |
| Taiwan | 24 | 6% |
| Netherlands | 22 | 5% |
| United States | 22 | 5% |
| United Kingdom | 19 | 4% |
| Germany | 18 | 4% |
| Türkiye | 16 | 4% |
| Costa Rica | 15 | 4% |
| Thailand | 15 | 4% |
| Product category | Notifications | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Confectionery | 83 | 20% |
| Fruit and vegetables | 67 | 16% |
| Fish and fish products | 50 | 12% |
| Food additives and flavourings | 31 | 7% |
| Feed additives | 23 | 5% |
| Cereals and bakery products | 21 | 5% |
| Feed materials | 20 | 5% |
| Compound feeds | 15 | 4% |
| Food supplements and dietetic foods | 15 | 4% |
| Pet food | 14 | 3% |
| Other and mixed food products | 13 | 3% |
| Prepared dishes and snacks | 12 | 3% |
| Notifying country | Notifications | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Spain | 87 | 21% |
| Italy | 55 | 13% |
| Germany | 39 | 9% |
| Belgium | 29 | 7% |
| Denmark | 22 | 5% |
| Lithuania | 19 | 4% |
| Poland | 19 | 4% |
| Finland | 18 | 4% |
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