Food Quality Magazine
ISSUE 03 | JULY 2015
Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF)
through the Years
Miroslav Šuška, QUALIFOOD s.r.o.
The European Union has one of the
best food standards in the world today. As early as 1979, the union has
established the Rapid Alert System
for Food and Feed (RASFF). This
key tool enabled information to be
disseminated faster and more efficiently to members of the European
Union as well to the European
Commission, national food safety
authorities, European Food Safety
Authority, the three EEA countries
(Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein), and
Switzerland.
duct, seizing it, recalling or rejecting
the product. Some actions taken
may even involve destruction of the
product if the need arises.
The RASFF Alert notification is the
most urgent type that needs immediate action. When food or feed
presents serious threat to the public
and is found to be currently on the
market, the RASFF Alert is sent. The
icon is a red octagon containing the
word “RASFF” Alert in the middle.
• 2009 – PC-based system / performant Internet was created
Main Purpose of RASFF
If a food or feed is identified to
contain hazards but is not currently
distributed in the market or all products in the market were recalled,
the European Commission send out
the RASFF Information notification.
This also applies to foo issues whose
nature of the risk does not need any
quick action. The icon is an orange
inverted triangle with the words
“RASFF Information” in the center.
Summary of Annual Reports
In order to streamline the exchange
of information between food and
feed authorities and the member
countries, the European Commission
created the Rapid Alert System for
Food and Feed. The tool ensures that
serious risks to the public as well
as measure taken are properly documented and relayed to everyone
involved. With the system in place,
coordination and rapid action from
the authorities is guaranteed.
How RASFF Works
RASFF is an IT based system where
members can access the portal either to report the existence of any
risk (direct or indirect) to the public
related to food and feed.
Once a member provides information
of an existing risk into the RASFF
portal, the European Commission,
its managing body, informs the entire network of the public health
risk. There is a common template
followed by the members. It includes details on product identification,
specific hazards found, any measures
taken and any information that can
help trace the product.
Depending on where the product
is in the food chain, measure taken
may include withholding the pro-
What Each RASFF Notifications Mean
RASFF Border Rejections, symbolized
by a red circle, are for food and feed that are tested and rejected at
the outside borders of the European
Union. In order to prevent the product from entering the border, the
notifications are sent to the EEA
border posts.
For any interesting information
regarding food and feed, that the
control authorities deem the members should know, a RASFF News
notification is sent. The icon is a blue
square bearing the words “RASFF
News” in the center.
• 1992 – FAX was added as an additional method of communication
• 2000 – Internet and email became
its most effective methods of communication
• 2011 – Collaborative online system
was established (iRASFF)
• 2014 – A new online system was
put into place where all member
states are provided access
2002
From 823 notifications in 2000, it
rose to 1,567 in 2001. In 2002, it almost doubled at 3,024 notifications.
During this year, fish, crustaceans
and mollusks saw the greatest number of notifications both alert and
non-alert with 480 cases. Nuts and
nut products came second with 251
notification but mostly concentrated
on non-alert cases. Third were meat
and meat products as well as game
and poultry with 234 notifications
mostly non-alert ones.
The topmost reasons for alert notifications were from microbiological
contaminants and chemical both at
30 percent. Veterinary drug residues
at 21 percent falling on second place.
2003
• 1979 – RASFF was established.
Method of Communication is primarily through phone
From 3,024 the previous year, notifications rose by 42 percent in 2003
with 4,286 notifications. On a positive note, only 454 were alert notifications. The larger remaining statistics were information notifications.
Most of the alert notifications came
from EU member countries while
most information notifications were
from third world countries.
• 1980 – TELEX was added as method
of communication
Crustaceans, fish and mollusks as
well as meat and meat products
RASFF through the Years
Technical Developments
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