The analysis of notifications of unsafe food and feed

The aim of this thesis - is to analyse the received and sent dispatches in Lithuania by the RASFF system of junk food and forage during the period of the year 2008–2009. In this research 6281 reports received from the EC and 83 announcements sent from Lithuania have been brought in the analysis. The data has been collected by a quantitative investigative method which measures phenomena in numbers and strives to be objective and reliable. The results of this research have been worked up by Microsoft Excel software. One of the key means, which is applied by the EU and reacts to increased danger to food and forage, is the rapid alert system for food and feed (RASFF). This system expeditiously releases prompt information of junk food and forage to the European Commission and other countries from the European Union thus preventing from spreading junk food and forage in the market. To compare statistics of the European Commission which have been gained recently using the RASFF system it could be maintained that the tendencies of dispatches remain analogous. Year by year there are received about three thousand of them because of junk food and forage, however, there is a significant tendency of growth. In 2009 the number of dispatches increased by 6 percent compared to the data of the year 2008. The information of junk food which is out of keeping with safety requirements came to 48,4 percent in 2008, 51,6 percent in 2009, and 177 reports about unhealthy forage were received in 2009 and 167 of them – in 2008. Of late years the National food and veterinary service of the Republic of Lithuania has sent 83 dispatches of junk food and forage to the EC using the RASFF system – 50 reports were forwarded in 2008 and 33 of them in 2009. The fundamental findings of the fulfilled analysis are as follows: 1. The information of junk food which is out of keeping with safety requirements was subjected to the commission 6281 times in 2009. The inadequacy of safety requirements came to 48,4 percent in 2008 and 51,6 percent in 2009, and 177 reports about unhealthy forage were received in 2009 and 167 of them – in 2008. 2. For the most part the EC receives dispatches using the RASFF system because of products‘ impurity by aflatoxins (932 reports in 2008, 665 of them – in 2009), this is the key risk factor of nuts and its products, grain and breadstuffs. During a few years 16 shipments in the Republic of Lithuania were found with impure goods with aflatoxins (14 – in 2008, 2 – in 2009). 3. To compare countries, mainly Italy (470 – in 2008, 491 – in 2009) and Germany (437 – in 2008, 399 – in 2009) have sent dispatches to the EC of late years. Mostly unhealthy food is being imported from third-world countries such as China, Turkey, Iran, the USA, India and Pakistan