The European Food safety authority EFSA assesses health risks posed by chemicals in food. Through AI-powered iComplai platform users will be notified on emerging fungicide risks like carboxin or ethylene-oxide.

On March 18th, European Commission published in their rapid alert system a notification on carboxin detected in cinnamon from Madagascar. This was the first time the European Commission reported a warning on carboxin. The analytical result was 0,47 +/- 0,24 whereas the max. permitted level is 0.1 mg/kg - ppm.

What is carboxin?

According to EPA (Environmental Protection Agency in US), Carboxin is a systemic fungicide used to control seed and seedling diseases (smut, rot, blight) on barley, beans, canola, corn, cotton, oats, onions, peanuts, rice, rye, safflower, sorghum, soybeans, triticale, and wheat. Formulations include wettable powder, dust, flowable concentrate, emulsifiable concentrate, and ready to-use liquid. Carboxin is applied to seeds prior to planting both by commercial seed treaters and on-farm applicators. Approximately 200,000 lbs of carboxin are used annually throughout the U.S.; 140,000 for commercial use, and 60,000 for on-farm use.

When and where carboxin is detected?

The risk of carboxin on cinnamon from Madagascar was already visible in the iComplai database in 2019. The platform shows that the same risk exists from cinnamon from Sri Lanka, Indonesia and China. Platform users can also see which other products are potentially contaminated with carboxin and can take precautions accordingly.

What are the current Regulations on carboxin?

EPA has concluded that the use of currently registered products containing carboxin in accordance with approved labeling will not pose unreasonable risks or adverse effects to humans or the environment. Therefore, all uses of these products are eligible for reregistration.

Reach out to iComplai to learn which other products are potentially contaminated with carboxin and which risks are emerging for your raw materials.