Warning to Citizens: Toxic Corn Flakes in BiH!

The Food Safety Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, through the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (EU RASFF), received an urgent EU RASFF notification regarding the content of the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) in breakfast cereals originating from Germany. Specifically, the producer "C. Hahnemühle Werke GmbH" identified contaminated batches of raw corn and the corn flakes produced from it, which were supplied to Bosnia and Herzegovina, among other countries, reports the Patria news agency.

In order to protect the health and interests of consumers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, on 20.02.2015, the Agency forwarded all available data to the competent inspection authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and requested them to urgently check for the possible presence of breakfast cereals with prohibited levels of deoxynivalenol on the market of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as to provide feedback to the Agency on the results of the inspection. On the same day, the Agency was informed by the company Konzum d.o.o. Sarajevo, as the importer, that the recall of the following products from the market of Bosnia and Herzegovina has begun:

"K plus Cornflakes", 250 g package, LOT: L14-05281, expiry date: 25.12.2015.;

"K plus Cornflakes", 1000 g package, LOT: L14-05290, expiry date: 25.12.2015.;

"Rial Cornflakes", 1000 g package, LOT: L14-05289, expiry date: 25.12.2015.

Deoxynivalenol is considered one of the less toxic trichothecenes. In humans exposed to contaminated cereals, it causes acute nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, headache, dizziness, and fever. In order to protect health, we recommend that consumers who may have purchased the aforementioned product do not consume it.

Food business operators are, in accordance with Article 25 of the Law on Food ("Official Gazette of BiH", No. 50/04), obliged at all stages of production, processing, preparation and distribution to ensure that food complies with the provisions of food regulations relevant to their activities and to monitor compliance with the regulations, the statement reads.