Measures to prevent dangerous food products from entering the EU

Purpose. The purpose of the research was to determine the effectiveness of the European Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF). It was also important to identify the most frequently reported unsafe food products to RASFF from 2017 to 2021, with year, type of alert, product category, country of origin, country of alert, reason for alert, distribution status, and actions taken to reduce risks for consumers. Methodology. During theoretical research, methods based on systematic analysis of statistical databases were used. The results were obtained by applying the methods of analysis and synthesis of information, abstraction and grouping. Results. The database of the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) was created  by the European Commission in order to inform consumers, business operators and authorities in all countries of the world as transparently as possible. The article shows that even in countries in which the systems of regulation and control over the entry of high-quality and safe products into the consumer market work effectively, cases of fraud are observed. Cases of dangerous food entering the European Union are on the rise. The reports on non-compliance with food safety in individual European countries were analyzed. The presented data analysis showed that the number of food safety reports on the platform managed by the European Commission increased in 2021. The main factors that ensure the effectiveness of the Alert and Cooperation Network (ACN), which includes the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed, the Administrative Assistance and Cooperation (AAC) system and the Food Fraud Network (FFN), are identified. The reports about the appearance of dangerous categories of food products on the market received from various countries of the European Union were analyzed. The results of the analysis are shown. Analysis of data from the Alert and Cooperation Network (ACN) report showed that in 2021, the number of food safety alerts sent through the online Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) increased in the EU compared to previous years. RASFF operational data is presented and a comparison of data for 2021 compared to 2020 regarding the reports received through this system is made. It shows that 4,607 reports were sent through the RASFF in 2021, of which 4,102 were related to food, an increase of almost 20% compared to 2020. The first category of products in non-conformance reports was fruit and vegetables (15%). As in 2020, the second most reported category was diet, nutritional supplements and fortified foods (10%), most of which were traded online. The main hazard reported was pesticides, accounting for 27% of health-related reports. Pesticides are shown to be the third most common hazard category in the European Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF). The pesticides mostly came from India or Turkey and were mostly detected in vegetables, fruits, spices and herbs during border controls and refusals. Usually the products did not reach the market or were not distributed and then destroyed. It has been confirmed that the effectiveness of the border checkpoints of the European  Union in detecting hazards and mutual information is important in order to protect the internal market and ensure the health of the population. Countries such as Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and Slovenia were found to have made the most use of the Administrative Assistance and Cooperation (AAC) system for fraud detection. Other countries do not yet sufficiently use this mechanism to combat food fraud. It is shown that almost 70% of reports were related to products from the EU and 30% from outside Europe. It was determined that the basis for food reports was mostly official control in the market, followed by the company's own verification. Only 4% of reports were made due to consumer complaints. It thus highlighted that it was thanks to the rapid alert system that a significant number of food safety risks were prevented before they could harm European consumers. Scientific novelty. The results obtained in this research include the wide spectrum of multifunctionality, systematization and analysis of the criteria for determining the effectiveness of the mechanism for distributing notifications about dangerous categories of food products that reach consumers in European countries. The practical significance can be determined in the outline of positive factors for the development of the system of notifications in Ukraine and other countries of the world, potential risks during the purchase of food products through the electronic network.

food product; European Union; safety; rapid notification system for food and feed; risk notification