Food alarm in Turkey: 51 food products turned back at the border

The European Union's official records on food safety have brought warnings regarding pesticide residues detected in agricultural products exported from Turkey back to the agenda. According to data from the European Union's Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), Turkey was the second country to receive the most notifications due to pesticides among countries exporting food to Europe in 2025.

According to a report by Cumhuriyet, a total of 105 separate warnings were issued for products originating from Turkey, 51 of which resulted in rejection decisions at border crossings.

PEPPERS TOP THE LIST OF PRODUCTS REJECTED BY EUROPE

According to RASFF data, peppers ranked first among the products rejected by the European Union.

Peppers accounted for 27 of the 51 product batches sent back from the borders. Peppers were followed by tomatoes with 9 notifications and pomegranates with 5 notifications.

Other products rejected due to pesticide residues were recorded as lemons, grape leaves, pears, grapefruits, tangerines, and peaches.

BANNED ACTIVE SUBSTANCE DETECTED IN PEPPERS

One of the most striking findings in the European Union records emerged in peppers.

It was stated that the active substance called "Formetanate," which is banned for use in pepper production in Turkey, was detected in 8 of the 27 rejected pepper batches.

According to the information in the records, the substance in question is stated to be extremely toxic, and experts note that Formetanate affects the nervous system and can pose serious health risks in high doses.

RESIDUES MANY TIMES ABOVE LIMITS FOUND IN PEPPERS SENT TO SWEDEN

According to RASFF records, striking findings were also encountered in fresh peppers sent from Turkey to Sweden.

It was reported that analyses detected residues of pirimiphos-methyl at 158 times the accepted safe limit, cyflumetofen at 22 times, and flonicamid at 2 times.

In recent months, numerous pesticide alarms regarding Turkish peppers have been recorded in the European Union's RASFF system.

LIST OF PRODUCTS REJECTED IN EXPORTS

According to information in the European Union records, the products rejected due to pesticides in 2025 and the number of notifications are listed as follows:

Peppers: 27 rejections

Tomatoes: 9 rejections

Pomegranates: 5 rejections

Lemons: 4 rejections

Grape leaves: 2 rejections

Pears: 1 rejection

Grapefruits: 1 rejection

Tangerines: 1 rejection

Peaches: 1 rejection

WARNINGS WERE NOT LIMITED TO PESTICIDES

It was observed that the warnings in the European Union records were not limited to fresh vegetables and fruits.

It was stated that notifications were also made for dried figs and pistachios exported from Turkey recently due to aflatoxin and ochratoxin.

Experts point out that these mold-derived toxins can pose serious health risks in cases of long-term exposure.

According to data from the European Union's Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed, Turkey received 105 notifications due to pesticides in 2025, and 51 product batches were turned back from European borders. While peppers were the most returned product, tomatoes and pomegranates also ranked high on the list. The data in the RASFF records revealed the inspection results regarding exported food products and the measures taken by Europe.

News Source: 12punto