Imported Egyptian carrots pulled from sale over contamination fears
A batch of carrots grown in Egypt and imported to Estonia by wholesaler Karlskroona OÜ must be pulled from the shelves after the Agriculture and Food Board (PTA) found them to contain unacceptable levels of pesticide residue.
Kaisa Orgusaar, chief specialist at the PTA's food department, told ERR Tuesday that a potentially dangerous amount of pesticide residue had been detected in carrots sourced by Karlskroona.
Orgusaar said: "The company has been obliged to recall its product lines from the market, and to submit the necessary documents to the agency."
"The company has not yet submitted all these required documents, but our hope is that it will do so soon, and that it recall all contaminated products from the shelves," Orgusaar went on.
The affected batches refer to fresh carrots of Egyptian origin sold by Karlskroona, lot number 78344.
These must be withdrawn from the shelves by retailers, and the PTA must be informed.
Over seven tonnes of carrots imported into Estonia were found to contain residues of the insecticide Fenamiphos, at levels which pose a potential hazard.
If a product that does not meet food safety requirements has reached the shelves, then a food trader has the legal obligation to provide consumers with effective and accurate information on the reasons for the disposal of the product. The food retailer is also obliged to return products that have already been delivered to consumers, where necessary.