According to updates from the European Union's Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), numerous food safety alerts in the EU market were issued during July and August 2026.

The Vietnam Trade Office in Belgium and the EU (concurrently accredited to Luxembourg and the European Commission) recently stated that the EU has intensified internal food safety and hygiene inspections while exercising tighter oversight over imported food products.

Accordingly, substantial numbers of EU-origin items have been recalled, and alerts issued to third-party countries have expanded.

Updates from the European Union's Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) show that in July and August 2026, competent authorities across EU member states issued multiple alerts regarding food commodities.

The EU is currently Vietnam's third-largest export market/region, following the United States and China, recording a turnover of 56.2 billion USD last year; through the first 7 months of this year, trade remained elevated at 37.9 billion USD, up 17.9% year-on-year.

Agricultural commodities served as a prominent bright spot with impressive growth into the EU over the past year, led by coffee at 3.6 billion USD—surging 68.3% in value and 26.1% in volume.

Alongside this, fruit and vegetable exports rose sharply by 45.7% to 353 million USD; cashew nuts reached 1.05 billion USD, up 25.2%; and seafood exports reached 1.4 billion USD, expanding 12.6% despite the IUU yellow card warning.

Specifically, for lychees (RASFF notification 2026.7466), the Czech Republic issued an alert detecting unauthorized plant protection chemicals, rating the incident as serious. For tuna (RASFF notification 2026.7365), Belgium flagged nitrites in the product, determining it to present a potential risk.

For cinnamon (RASFF notification 2026.7243), the Netherlands issued an alert over mercury detection, evaluating the incident as serious.

Ground black pepper (RASFF notification 2026.7068) was also flagged by the Czech Republic due to the detection of chlorpyrifos, an unauthorized active ingredient. The product originated from India, transited via Spain, and was linked to Vietnam in the distribution chain; the incident was assessed as potentially serious.

For frozen pangasius (RASFF notification 2026.6962), Italy flagged unauthorized treatment with ionizing radiation and issued a border rejection notice. Meanwhile, pangasius fillets (RASFF notification 2026.6759) received an alert from Romania due to the presence of Vibrio cholerae, with the risk level categorized as potential.

Shrimp (RASFF notification 2026.6481) was also listed after the Netherlands identified excessively high polyphosphate (E452) levels; however, the incident was evaluated as non-serious. For shrimp ravioli (RASFF notification 2026.6122), Italy issued an alert for undeclared egg allergens. The incident was classified as serious, resulting in a border rejection.

The Netherlands raised an alert detecting multiple pesticide residues in rambutan (RASFF notification 2026.5988), rating the case as serious.

Green tea (RASFF notification 2026.5984) received an alert from Belgium due to unauthorized colorants, though the incident was deemed non-serious.

In light of rigorous food safety checks on imports into the EU bloc, the Vietnam Trade Office in Belgium and the EU advises exporting enterprises to tighten controls over raw materials and processing protocols. Special attention must be paid to pesticide residues, heavy metals, food additives, microbiological criteria, treatment methods, labeling standards, and mandatory allergen declarations.

Enterprises must consistently monitor EU regulatory updates and proactively conduct pre-export laboratory testing to minimize the risks of receiving alerts, product recalls, or import rejections.

Source: Bao Tai chinh - Dau tu