Food safety concerns in Kosovo and Albania exports

Food safety issues have emerged regarding agricultural and processed food exports from Kosovo and Albania.

Initially, the Kosovo Food and Veterinary Agency ordered the withdrawal of Vita Dairy Land UHT 3.2% milk due to excessive aflatoxin M1 levels. This contamination led to the interception and destruction of over 27,000 kilograms of milk at the North Macedonian border.

Subsequent safety concerns expanded to include various products across Europe. In Italy, Albanian mackerel was blocked after histamine levels were found to be double the permitted limit. Additionally, Croatian authorities intercepted Albanian red peppers containing excessive insecticide residues.

More recently, the Food and Veterinary Agency (AUV) ordered a market recall of ‘Flips Ketchup’ produced by Pestova LLC. This follows a notification from the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) after Slovenian controls identified undeclared milk allergens in Lot FK 04/26. Pestova LLC stated that the issue involves a limited series and maintains that no milk or dairy products are used in their production processes, noting they are conducting further laboratory analyses to verify the source of the traces.