A new report shares findings on import refusals from Egypt to the United States and European Union.
To inform the Egyptian National Food Safety Authority and other private and public sector stakeholders on the reasons for Egyptian exports being refused by the U.S. and E.U. market, the USDA Transforming the Assessment and Inspection of Food Business in Egypt (TAIB) project conducted an analysis of import refusals from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Union’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF). The analysis reviewed 10 years of Egyptian import refusals by the FDA and RASFF and identifies the most common reasons and products for and import refusals. For the U.S. market, the most common violation by Egyptian food exporters is mislabeling, while for the E.U. market, it is the presence of pesticides and aflatoxins that are above maximum allowable limits. Based on the report’s findings, a series of recommendations are included to address the main violations that lead to Egyptian export rejections.