Pesticide alarm for products sent to Europe
Excessive pesticide levels were detected in peppers sent to Bulgaria, while high nickel content was found in nectarines sent to Croatia.
12punto
Certain agricultural products exported from Turkey to European countries have been flagged by the European Union's Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF). Inspections revealed chemical residues exceeding legal limits in several shipments.
Notifications issued by Bulgaria noted that multiple pesticide residues were found in fresh peppers sent from Turkey. During inspections, emamectin, formetanate, and tebufenpyrad were detected in the shipment, leading to border enforcement actions; the products were denied entry into the European Union market.
The notifications specifically highlighted residues of formetanate and tebufenpyrad. RASFF records show that similar pesticide warnings regarding Turkish-origin peppers have been issued previously.
In another notification from Bulgaria, chlorpyrifos-methyl residue was detected in sweet peppers sent from Turkey. It was stated that the amount identified in the product was 10 times the legal limit.
Another warning regarding products sent from Turkey to Europe came from Croatia. On August 19, 2026, Croatia reported to the RASFF system that high nickel content had been detected in Turkish-origin nectarines.
RASFF is used among European Union countries to rapidly share risks related to food and feed safety. Notifications entered into the system can lead to products being stopped at border controls or prevented from entering the market.