https://doi.org/10.4081/ijfs.2024.12341
Analysis of the original notifications in the Tuscany region “Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed” in the seven-year period 2015-2021
Submitted: 1 February 2024
Accepted: 1 March 2024
Published: 4 April 2024
Accepted: 1 March 2024
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All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
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The original notifications (n=1355) managed by the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed of the Tuscany region in the seven-year period 2015-2021 were analyzed. 68.9% of them were classified as alert notifications, and they mostly originated (56.3%) from official controls on the market, followed by the company’s own checks (29.1%). Italy was the most represented notifying country (73.3%) and the most represented country of origin of the notified products (64.5%). Out of the 28 considered food categories, “fish and products thereof” (F), “cereals and bakery products” (C), “bivalve mollusks and products thereof” (B), and “meat and meat products (other than poultry)” (M) were the most notified. F were especially notified for the presence of heavy metals (45.7%), C for undeclared allergens (32.1%), B for microbial contaminants (Escherichia coli, 49.6%), and M for pathogenic microorganisms (55.9%), mostly Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes. This study provides an updated framework for the main food safety issues at the regional level. The Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed should be periodically analyzed to evaluate historical trends and emerging or poorly known hazards. This is especially important for the planning of official control activities and the prevention of risks through the food supply chain.
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Giusti A, Galgani M, Barontini F, Balocchini E, D’Ascenzi C, Armani A. Analysis of the original notifications in the Tuscany region “Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed” in the seven-year period 2015-2021. Ital J Food Safety [Internet]. 2024 Apr. 4 [cited 2024 Dec. 22];13(2). Available from: https://www.pagepressjournals.org/ijfs/article/view/12341
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