212 notifications on food additives and flavourings since 1 January 2020, under 1% of all EU notifications in that time. 25 in the 365 days to 8 November 2026, against 18 in the 365 days before, up 39%. 14% were border rejections, against 30% across all products, and 51% had a serious risk decision.
The origins named most often were China (47), India (41) and Germany (36). The findings reported most often were ethylene oxide (95), an unauthorised additive (31) and unauthorised genetically modified material (14). The products named most often were thickeners (84), food additives (15), food enzymes (15) and 1 more.
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 on food additives and flavourings
The newest 25 of 212, newest first, each built from fixed word lists. The reference opens the official record.
- 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.
- Border rejection notified by Slovenia: vitamins, minerals or other nutrients above safe levels and unauthorised novel food in a food additive or flavouring from India, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.8182, validated 16 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.
- Information for follow up notified by the Netherlands: a finding outside our word list in a food additive or flavouring from Türkiye, risk decision potentially serious, reference 2026.6878, validated 3 August 2026.
- Alert notified by Belgium: heavy metals (not named) in a food additive or flavouring from the United Kingdom, risk decision serious, reference 2026.6872, validated 3 August 2026.
- Information for attention notified by Italy: benzene in a food additive or flavouring from China, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.5869, validated 2 July 2026.
- Border rejection notified by Poland: missing or incorrect health certificates and documents for thickeners from China, risk decision not serious, reference 2026.5760, validated 30 June 2026.
- Information for follow up notified by Belgium: chlorate in thickeners from China, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.4610, validated 26 May 2026.
- Border rejection notified by Italy: chlorate in thickeners from China, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.3594, validated 24 April 2026.
- Border rejection notified by Italy: chlorate in thickeners from China, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.3599, validated 24 April 2026.
- Border rejection notified by Italy: chlorate in thickeners from China, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.3338, validated 20 April 2026.
- Border rejection notified by Italy: chlorate in thickeners from China, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.3088, validated 10 April 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.
- Border rejection notified by Slovenia: chlorate in thickeners from China, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.2760, validated 31 March 2026.
- Border rejection notified by Italy: chlorate in thickeners from China, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.2700, validated 30 March 2026.
- Alert notified by Belgium: a finding outside our word list in a food additive or flavouring from the Netherlands, risk decision serious, reference 2026.2692, validated 27 March 2026.
- Alert notified by the Netherlands: foreign bodies in a food additive or flavouring from Iran, risk decision serious, reference 2026.2067, validated 12 March 2026.
- Alert notified by Spain: undeclared sulphites and sweeteners in a food additive or flavouring from Belgium, Greece, Indonesia and 1 more countries, risk decision serious, reference 2026.1678, validated 27 February 2026.
- Border rejection notified by Italy: chlorate in thickeners from China, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.1448, validated 20 February 2026.
- Alert notified by Italy: Sudan dyes in flavourings from Germany, risk decision serious, reference 2026.0872, validated 2 February 2026.
- Information for follow up notified by Belgium: chlorate in thickeners from Belgium and China, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.0361, validated 16 January 2026.
- Border rejection notified by Latvia: labelling faults for flavourings from China, risk decision not serious, reference 2026.0084, validated 7 January 2026.
- Border rejection notified by Croatia: moulds in a food additive or flavouring from North Macedonia, risk decision not serious, reference 2025.10171, validated 18 December 2025.
- Information for follow up notified by Belgium: chlorate in thickeners from China, risk decision potential risk, reference 2025.10124, validated 17 December 2025.
- Information for follow up notified by Belgium: chlorate in thickeners from China, risk decision potential risk, reference 2025.10026, validated 15 December 2025.
Origins with their own page for food additives and flavourings: China (47), India (41), Germany (36), France (28), Türkiye (24), Belgium (22), Italy (21), Netherlands (16).
The numbers
| Year | Notifications |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 19 |
| 2021 | 77 |
| 2022 | 43 |
| 2023 | 17 |
| 2024 | 19 |
| 2025 | 15 |
| 2026 (to 8 Nov 2026) | 22 |
| Type | Notifications | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Border rejection | 30 | 14% |
| Alert | 115 | 54% |
| Information for follow up | 46 | 22% |
| Information for attention | 21 | 10% |
| Risk decision | Notifications | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Serious | 109 | 51% |
| Potentially serious | 15 | 7% |
| Potential risk | 26 | 12% |
| Not serious | 16 | 8% |
| Undecided | 43 | 20% |
| No risk | 3 | 1% |
| Product | Notifications |
|---|---|
| Thickeners | 84 |
| Food additives | 15 |
| Food enzymes | 15 |
| Food colours | 10 |
| Flavourings | 7 |
| Origin | Notifications | Share |
|---|---|---|
| China | 47 | 22% |
| India | 41 | 19% |
| Germany | 36 | 17% |
| France | 28 | 13% |
| Türkiye | 24 | 11% |
| Belgium | 22 | 10% |
| Italy | 21 | 10% |
| Netherlands | 16 | 8% |
| Spain | 14 | 7% |
| United Kingdom | 11 | 5% |
| Poland | 10 | 5% |
| Denmark | 7 | 3% |
| Finding | Notifications | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Ethylene oxide | 95 | 45% |
| An unauthorised additive | 31 | 15% |
| Unauthorised genetically modified material | 14 | 7% |
| Chlorate | 12 | 6% |
| Vitamins, minerals or other nutrients above safe levels | 12 | 6% |
| Unauthorised colours | 10 | 5% |
| Foreign bodies | 8 | 4% |
| Other finding | 7 | 3% |
| Undeclared peanut | 7 | 3% |
| Undeclared sulphites | 6 | 3% |
| Missing or incorrect health certificates and documents | 5 | 2% |
| Mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOSH, MOAH) | 4 | 2% |
| Notifying country | Notifications | Share |
|---|---|---|
| France | 35 | 17% |
| Belgium | 33 | 16% |
| Germany | 33 | 16% |
| Netherlands | 24 | 11% |
| Italy | 20 | 9% |
| Spain | 14 | 7% |
| Poland | 9 | 4% |
| Latvia | 6 | 3% |
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