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Poison in the Seed: Wave of Recalls for Products with Sesame

Ethylene oxide has been banned in the food sector in Germany since 1981. If it does appear in sesame, for example, it is no longer marketable and must be withdrawn from the market. “Since ethylene oxide is mutagenic and carcinogenic, residues in food are undesirable,” writes the Federal Office for Risk Assessment (BfR) in a current statement. The EU also classifies the colorless and highly flammable gas as carcinogenic and mutagenic and bans it as a plant protection product.

28 recalls of products with sesame since the end of October

Nevertheless, since the end of October 2020, food inspectors have found 28 residues of ethylene oxide in sesame products such as crispbread, snack food, tahini paste, or muesli. As consequence: the affected products had to be recalled.

Thousands of limit values ​​exceeded

Raw sesame from India was particularly conspicuous during random food import controls in late summer 2020. In some cases, the amount measured here was 1,000 times the legal maximum residue level. On October 22, 2020, the EU Commission in Brussels, therefore, imposed an obligation to control every second batch of raw sesame from India that arrives in the EU. 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.

Ethylene oxide was probably used against salmonella

The Chemical and Veterinary Investigation Office in Stuttgart (CVUA) also examined sesame for ethylene oxide and other pesticides – mainly from wholesalers and the processing industry. The result: Half of the samples were contaminated, primarily with ethylene oxide.

The CVUA suspects that the pesticide should be used to combat salmonella, which was previously found in sesame. The gas would still be used in warehouses in India or Africa, for example. The result: the intestinal bacteria have largely disappeared, but there are now plenty of chemicals in sesame.

More protection through organic products

Although organic products were also affected by the current recalls, the CVUA still advises organically grown sesame. These would contain 100 to 200 times fewer pesticides than conventionally produced sesame products.

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Written by John Myers

Professional Chef with 25 years of industry experience at the highest levels. Restaurant owner. Beverage Director with experience creating world-class nationally recognized cocktail programs. Food writer with a distinctive Chef-driven voice and point of view.

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