Repeated border rejections concerning canned tuna imported from Thailand

26.11.2012

Question for written answer P-010740-12
to the Commission
Rule 117
Carmen Fraga Estévez (PPE)

In 2012, during checks on products arriving from third countries, the EU has repeatedly rejected imports of canned tuna from Thailand after finding that they did not comply with hygiene and health regulations. 18 notifications concerning processed tuna products imported from Thailand have been transmitted through the EU’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) since January 2012, due to these products having received inadequate heat treatment, which has led to many rejections at EU borders.

Heat treatment sterilises the canned products as it kills or inactivates bacteria, in particular the Clostridium botulinum bacterium (which produces the botulinum toxin that causes botulism). If the treatment is not carried out correctly, it poses a serious risk for the stability and safety of tinned food intended for human consumption and, therefore, consumer food safety.

The high number of notifications concerning an essential tuna processing procedure for guaranteeing food safety highlights serious failings in Thai industry checks, but also on the part of the competent supervisory body in Thailand. This is especially concerning given that Thailand is the world’s leading producer of tinned tuna and commands a third of the EU’s canned tuna market.

In the light of the above, what measures has the Commission taken, or what action does it intend to take, to protect EU consumers against this serious food safety problem posed by canned tuna from Thailand, and to ensure that these tinned products entering the EU meet all the requirements laid down in our food safety legislation?

How can the Commission verify whether the competent Thai authority is able to perform the necessary checks on exports when from February to November 2012 it has repeatedly authorised below standard tinned tuna, which could compromise food safety, for export to the EU?

OJ C 317 E, 31/10/2013