The legal basis of the system is Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 laying down the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing the
European Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures in matters of food safety (O.J. No L 31 of 1 February 2002).

 The purpose of the rapid alert system for food and feed (RASFF) is to provide the control authorities with an effective tool for exchange of information on measures taken to ensure food safety.

 To assist the members of the network, information is classified under two different headings:

 • ALERT NOTIFICATIONS

 Alert notifications are sent when the food or feed presenting the risk is on the market and when immediate action is required. Alerts are triggered by the Member State that detects the problem and has initiated the relevant measures, such as withdrawal/recall. The notification aims at giving all the members of the network the information to verify whether the concerned product is on their market, so that they also can take the necessary measures.

 Consumers can be reassured that products subject to an alert notification have been withdrawn or are in the process of being withdrawn from the market. The Member States have their own mechanisms to carry out such actions, including the provision of detailed information through the media if necessary.

 • INFORMATION NOTIFICATIONS

 Information notifications concern a food or feed for which a risk has been identified, but for which the other members of the network do not have to take immediate action, because the product has not reached their market. These notifications mostly concern food and feed consignments that have been tested and rejected at the external borders of the EU.
Consumers can be reassured that products subject to an information notification have not reached the market or that all necessary measures have already been taken.

 The Commission publishes a weekly overview of alert and information notifications. As it is necessary to strike the balance between openness and the protection of commercial information, the trade names and the identity of individual companies are not published. This is not detrimental to consumer protection, as a RASFF notification implies that measures have been or are in the process of being taken.

 The public must be aware that the Commission is not in a position to release more information other than that published here. However, in exceptional circumstances where the protection of human health requires greater transparency, the Commission takes the appropriate action through its usual communication channels.

 The Commission informs the authorities of third countries of notifications concerning products manufactured in, distributed to or dispatched from these countries. However, the fact that a country is mentioned as the origin of a product does not necessarily imply that the identified hazard(s) originated in the country concerned.

 Week 2007/14

 TABLE 1: ALERT NOTIFICATIONS

 Notifications in blue typeface concern feed, all other notifications concern food.

DATE:	NOTIFIED BY:	REF.:	REASON FOR NOTIFYING:	COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
02/04/2007	Italy	2007.0248	parasitic infestation with Anisakis of European hake (Merluccius merluccius)	SPAIN
02/04/2007	Hungary	2007.0249	carbendazim in strawberries	MOROCCO VIA THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC
03/04/2007	Spain	2007.0250	too high content of E 284 - boric acid in frozen cooked velvet crabs	IRELAND
04/04/2007	Denmark	2007.0251	Escherichia coli O26 in cured fermented beef sausage	DENMARK
04/04/2007	the United Kingdom	2007.0252	foreign body in frozen roasted potatoes	THE UNITED KINGDOM
05/04/2007	Belgium	2007.0253	too high content of E 210 - benzoic acid in frozen cooked shrimps	CHINA
06/04/2007	Italy	2007.0254	too high count of Escherichia coli in clams (Donax trunculus)	GREECE
06/04/2007	Belgium	2007.0255	Salmonella spp in pet food	THE UNITED STATES

 TABLE 2: INFORMATION NOTIFICATIONS

 Notifications in blue typeface concern feed, all other notifications concern food.

03/04/2007	Finland	2007.AVY	3-monochlor-1,2-propanediol (3-MCPD) in soy sauce	VIETNAM
03/04/2007	the United Kingdom	2007.AVZ	erucic acid in satkara hot pickle	BANGLADESH
04/04/2007	the Netherlands	2007.AWA	aflatoxins in groundnut kernels	ARGENTINA
04/04/2007	the Netherlands	2007.AWB	aflatoxins in blanched peanut kernels	CHINA
04/04/2007	Italy	2007.AWC	migration of chromium from knives	CHINA
04/04/2007	Germany	2007.AWD	aflatoxins in pistachio kernels	IRAN
04/04/2007	Germany	2007.AWE	aflatoxins in pistachios in shell	IRAN
05/04/2007	the United Kingdom	2007.AWF	Bacillus pumilus and Bacillus subtilis in roasted hot curry powder and mild curry powder	INDIA
05/04/2007	Greece	2007.AWG	arsenic in and unauthorised placing on the market of natural mineral water	ARMENIA
05/04/2007	Italy	2007.AWH	aflatoxins in hazelnut paste	TURKEY
05/04/2007	Hungary	2007.AWI	methomyl in peppers	EGYPT
06/04/2007	the United Kingdom	2007.AWJ	aflatoxins in groundnuts for bird feed	THE GAMBIA
06/04/2007	the United Kingdom	2007.AWK	aflatoxins in peanuts Bar-B-Q flavour coated	THAILAND
06/04/2007	the United Kingdom	2007.AWL	aflatoxins in coconut cream flavour coated peanuts	THAILAND
06/04/2007	Germany	2007.AWM	aflatoxins in hazelnut kernels	TURKEY
06/04/2007	Greece	2007.AWN	migration of DEHP - di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate from plastic water canteen	CHINA (HONG KONG)
06/04/2007	Germany	2007.AWO	altered organoleptic characteristics of red wine	SPAIN
06/04/2007	Italy	2007.AWP	parasitic infestation with Anisakis of European hake (Merluccius merluccius)	SPAIN

 TABLE 3: CORRIGENDA TO PREVIOUS NOTIFICATIONS

DATE:	REF.:	NOTIFI-CATION:	OF WEEK	CORRIGENDUM:
03/04/2007	inf02	2007.ANQ	9	The product concerned by this notification is "bitter melon (sopropo)".
03/04/2007	inf03	2007.0228	12	The Commission was informed by the Canadian authorities that the copper sulphate is of Chinese origin.

 TABLE 4: WITHDRAWALS OF PREVIOUS NOTIFICATIONS

DATE:	REF.:	NOTIFI-CATION:	OF WEEK	REASON FOR WITHDRAWAL:
02/04/2007	inf01	2006.0759	44	In view of the favourable analytical results of the product, the food poisoning outbreak could not be linked to the canned tuna. This notification is therefore withdrawn.