John Myers
Ethylene oxide in sesame! How can that be? Why is nobody doing anything about the fact that we poison ourselves with food every day?
Food is fumigated with ethylene oxide to kill germs. This has been banned in the EU since 1991, but is still permitted in third countries such as India, the USA and Canada. Raw sesame from India was particularly conspicuous during random food import controls in late summer 2020. In some cases, the amount found here was 1,000 times the legal maximum residue level of 0.05 mg/kg. The Chemical and Veterinary Investigation Office Stuttgart (CVUA) suspects that the pesticide should be used to combat salmonella, which was previously found in large quantities in sesame. Salmonella contamination is a problem with sesame, which is why every fifth consignment from India at the EU borders has had to be checked for it since 2019. Due to the ethylene oxide finds, the EU Commission extended the obligation to check ethylene oxide residues for every second batch of raw sesame from India on October 22, 2020. Each delivery must also contain a test report from a laboratory. This must certify that there is no ethylene oxide in the sesame. If the report is missing or if European authorities find the pesticide when it is being imported into the EU, the goods will be destroyed or sent back.
An alternative are organic products. The use of chemical pesticides is prohibited here. Even if the absence of residues cannot be guaranteed, there are 100-200 times fewer pesticides than in conventional products.
In the meantime, ethylene oxide has also been found in numerous other foods. Official product recalls and food warnings are published on the food warning portals. We recommend checking there regularly.
