Germany and Denmark: warnings over high pesticide levels for Turkish cherries

13 Sep 2023
1271

The Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) has issued a consumer warning through German authorities after high levels of three pesticides were detected in cherries imported from Turkey. The foregoing was announced through inquiries from the team at Hortoinfo, a Spanish information portal, regarding RASFF notification number 2023.5584 on Aug. 17.

As reported by SimFruit based on the information, an official market inspection on July 19 found an excessive presence of the pesticides chlorpyrifos, dimethoate and omethoate, in all cases exceeding their maximum residue limit (MRL).

Chlorpyrifos was present in Turkish cherries at a level of 0.029 +/- 0.015 mg/kg - ppm, where the prescribed MRL is 0.01 mg/kg - ppm.

Meanwhile, dimethoate was present in Turkish cherries at a level of 0.16 +/- 0.08 mg/kg - ppm. Regarding omethoate, the analyses showed a content of 0.069 +/- 0.035 mg/kg - ppm. In both cases, the MRL is set at 0.01 mg/kg - ppm, as for chlorpyrifos.

A further alert for Turkish cherries was issued a week later in Denmark due to high levels of dimethoat and omethoat (ref. 2023.5779). The risk was identified as potentially serious and a recall was ordered. 

The results of the sampling of this second batch:

Sampling

Hazard

Category

Analytical resultsMaximum
4 JUL 2023Dimethoate - pesticide residuesPesticide residues0,04 +/- 0,02 mg/kg - ppm0,01 mg/kg - ppm
4 JUL 2023Omethoate - pesticide residuesPesticide residues0,018 +/- 0,009 mg/kg - ppm0,01 mg/kg - ppm


Image by wayhomestudio on Freepik


Cherry Times - All rights reserved

What to read next

Interspecific hybrids – as new sources for sweet and sour cherry breeding

Breeding

11 Dec 2023

At Dresden-Pillnitz interspecific crosses and backcrosses have been carried out over the last 20 years. The aims of this breeding program are to develop genotypes with new fruit characteristics and a higher level of resistance to biotic and abiotic stress.

Mundoagro Capacita: new lectures on post-harvest and quality of the sweet cherry tree

Quality

13 Feb 2025

"All the post-harvest management will be reflected in the next harvest. Therefore, we must emphasize irrigation, nutrition, and summer pruning, among other things. We conduct all these checklists to achieve extraordinary quality fruit, which is what the markets demand from us.”

In evidenza

Viral infections in sour cherries: threats and certification efforts in Europe

Breeding

03 Jun 2025

Viral infections in sour cherries affect health and yield. Certification and preventive strategies are essential. Hungary stands out as a key study area for tracking the spread of viruses like CVA, PrVF, and PNRSV to improve phytosanitary measures across Europe.

India: 300 Million Consumers Ripe for Chilean Cherries

Markets

03 Jun 2025

With zero import tariffs, ideal seasonal windows, and a growing middle class of 300 million consumers, India represents a major opportunity for Chilean cherries. As logistics improve and awareness increases, it could become Chile’s next key market for premium fruit exports.

Tag Popolari