Review of food import controls (2019/1793): 50 % of consignments of pistachios from Türkiye and chilli peppers from Rwanda and Thailand, new controls on strawberries from Egypt, end of increased ethylene oxide controls on vanilla, cloves and okra from India and of aflatoxin and ochratoxin A controls on rice from India
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/194, published on 29 January 2026, replaces Annexes I and II to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1793 after the six-monthly review based on RASFF notifications and the results of Member States’ official controls in the first half of 2025. It changes the frequency of identity and physical checks for more than a dozen commodity–country pairs.
- Increases and new entries: hyacinth bean (Lablab purpureus) from Bangladesh — pesticides, 30 %; palm oil from Côte d’Ivoire packaged for direct human consumption — Sudan dyes, 30 % (bulk consignments excluded because they were compliant); strawberries from Egypt — pesticides, new entry, 20 %; peppers other than sweet from Rwanda and from Thailand — pesticides, 50 % each; sesame seeds from Türkiye — Salmonella, 30 %; pistachios from Türkiye and pistachios from the United States dispatched from Türkiye — aflatoxins, 50 % each (Annex II, with certificate and analytical results).
- Decreases: oranges from Egypt from 20 % to 10 %, lemons from Türkiye from 30 % to 20 %, mandarins, clementines and similar hybrids from Türkiye from 20 % to 10 %, oranges from Türkiye from 30 % to 20 %, black pepper from Brazil (Salmonella) from 50 % to 30 %. Pepper of the genus Piper and dried fruits of Capsicum and Pimenta from India (ethylene oxide) and calcium carbonate from India (ethylene oxide) move from Annex II to Annex I — without the mandatory official certificate, with checks at 20 % and 30 % respectively.
- Deletions: the ethylene oxide note for okra from India; rice from India (aflatoxins and ochratoxin A); nutmeg from India (aflatoxins); vanilla and cloves from India (ethylene oxide); preserved turnips from Lebanon (rhodamine B); food additive mixtures with locust bean gum from Malaysia and from Türkiye (controls showed they do not contain locust bean gum); grapefruits from Türkiye. The regulation enters into force on the twentieth day after publication.
- Context from the previous review, Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1441: grapefruits from Türkiye were then reduced from 20 % to 10 % and are now deleted from the list; that act also moved spices from Ethiopia (aflatoxins) to Annex I at 30 % and laid down that samples for mycotoxins are taken and analysed according to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2782. The current review is based on RASFF notifications and official control results from the first half of 2025 (recital 3), the previous one on those from the second half of 2024.