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[sanidadexterior]

Can a pistachio that is to be imported and exceeds the maximum aflatoxin content be re-exported to the country of origin or must it be destroyed?

Recently, a consignment of Iranian pistachios underwent analytical control at the port of Valencia to determine its aflatoxin content, in accordance with EU Regulation 2019/1793.

An AFB1 content of >24 ppb was found, and it was rejected and ordered to be destroyed.

The importer disagreed and wanted to return the pistachio to Iran.

In the trial, the court ordered the product's re-shipment to Iran, finding that the pistachio did not pose a health risk.

Was the court ruling correct?

For more details, see the attached file.

 

Attached Files

•  mistakes-1.pdf   2.22MB   8 downloads

Edited by sanidadexterior, 17 April 2025 - 10:18 AM.

[Karenconstable]

Thanks for sharing, Sanidad,

 

I was just writing today about the increasing food fraud vulnerabilities for pistachios due to the higher demand related to the sudden popularity of 'Dubai Chocolate' which contains pistachio.   That's 2025 news, by the way. 

 

I initially thought the border rejection described above was related to the recent increased demand for pistachios, since much of the pistachio used for Dubai Chocolate is sourced from Iran (source: https://www.foodnavi...achio-shortage/). 

 

However, for anyone else reading this, note that the case described by Sanidad relates to a shipment that was rejected in 2021. The dates are included  in the attachment they provided with their post.  Just FYI.