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🍎 Food DE May 5, 2021

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids in cumin from Turkey

Classification
Information notification for attention
Risk
Serious
Category
herbs and spices
Hazard
pyrrolizidine alkaloids - {natural toxins (other)}
Origin
Türkiye
Notifier
Germany
🗄
Archived (older alert)
This alert was reported 1860 days ago and has been moved from our active feed to the archive. The original safety information still applies — we have no confirmation from the issuing agency that the product is safe again. Refer to the official notice for the current status.
📈 Timeline
0 days in total
May 17, 2026 May 17, 2026
Daily snapshot data starts accumulating once the scheduler runs — for now this is interpolated from the agency's first/last dates.

What is this? Cumin from Turkey may have small amounts of natural poisons called pyrrolizidine alkaloids.

What's happening? Germany found these poisons in some cumin shipped from Turkey.

Does this affect me? If you bought cumin from Turkey, check your spice rack.

What should I do? Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you are worried. Throw away any cumin from Turkey.

🤖 This plain-language summary is automatically generated from the official agency notice using AI. It is for general information only — not medical advice. For decisions about your health, always consult a pharmacist or doctor and read the official source linked below.

🔬 Medical / technical details (for professionals)
Agency-published detail

Classification: Information notification for attention · Risk: Serious · Category: herbs and spices · Hazard: pyrrolizidine alkaloids - {natural toxins (other)} · Origin: Türkiye · Notifier: Germany

First published
May 5, 2021
Last refreshed by us
3 weeks ago
Severity (as classified)
High
Official source
https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/screen/search?notificationReference=2021.2232

All information on this page comes from the official agency notice. We translate and summarise it; we don't add or edit facts.

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❓ Frequently asked questions

▸ What is this product recall alert about?
Pyrrolizidine alkaloids in cumin from Turkey. Classification: Information notification for attention · Risk: Serious · Category: herbs and spices · Hazard: pyrrolizidine alkaloids - {natural toxins (other)} · Origin: Türkiye · Notifier: Germany
▸ When was this alert issued?
This alert was issued on May 5, 2021 by EU RASFF.
▸ Which countries are affected?
The alert applies to Germany.
▸ How serious is this alert?
Serious risk. A serious risk means the product or medicine can cause significant harm. Treat the alert as urgent.
▸ What should I do?
If you have this product at home, stop using it and return it to the point of purchase for a refund. Keep the receipt if you have one — most retailers refund without it for safety recalls.
▸ Where can I find the official notice?
The full official notice is published on webgate.ec.europa.eu.

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⚠️ We aggregate official notices. We do not give medical advice. For medical or legal decisions, consult the source agency and a qualified professional.