Dai cetrioli spagnoli ai semi di fieno greco egiziani: crisi risolta?

The 2011 E. Coli outbreaks in Germany and France give the opportunity to comment on the events, by making remarks on the efficiency of the rapid alert system for food and feed, on the role of institutions and authorities operating it and on the consequences, both direct and indirect, that can be caused by alert notifications on the RASFF. After a brief summary of the happenings, the paper will outline the main features of EFSA reports and of the subsequent Commission Decision 2011/402/UE, adopting emergency measures “applicable to fenugreek seeds and certain seeds and beans imported from Egypt”. The analysis will provide a starting point for some questions (deliberately unanswered) related to the development of the emergency, with regard to the legitimacy of such measures, the observance of the limits set on the application of the precautionary principle, the completeness of provisions on RASFF notifications, the chance to fill any gap in the system.