Spanish canners are calling for a temporary ban on tuna imports from Thailand after multiple Thai products failed to meet EU health standards, reports Intrafish.
According to the European Union (EU) Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), tuna imports from Thailand were rejected 17 times at the EU border in recent months, wrote Anfaco, Spain’s canners association, in a letter to the Spanish government.
Anfaco is urging the EU to disregard the Thai health authorities and to delist the factories that are not complying with EU sanitary regulations.
Poor heat treatment is believed to be the root of the problem. It leads to under-sterilization and poses a potential health risk as the stability and safety of the product becomes jeopardized.
Once the Thai health authorities have addressed the problem, the European Commission should inspect the plants to make sure they meet health standards, Anfaco said.
The group said the situation shows Thai authorities lack the control and competence to properly supervise the plants and to ensure the international principles of hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) are followed.