German consumer protection experts are warning of serious problems with imported Dubai chocolate. Investigations in the North Rhine-Westphalia region have revealed numerous violations that raise concerns about the quality and safety of the product, German portal chip.de reports.
Shocking research results
According to the Nordrhein-Westfalen consumer protection authority, as many as 96 percent of the inspected goods from Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan did not meet quality standards. In comparison, only 38 percent of the chocolate batches produced in Germany had non-conformities. A total of 103 chocolate samples were tested, of which 83 percent were found to be of poor quality.
"Almost all batches of chocolate tested did not meet quality standards, and the imported chocolate from Dubai had more defects than the local German products," the Nordrhein-Westfalen consumer protection authority said, as quoted by chip.de.
Mold and unlabeled allergens are the main culprits
One of the most alarming findings was mold fungi (mycotoxins), which were found in 13 percent of samples of imported chocolate from Dubai.
"No such contaminants were found in chocolates produced in Germany," inform the experts who conducted the study, quoted by chip.de.
The labs also found that many chocolate products were missing important warnings about food additives on their labels. Legislation requires products containing certain dyes to carry the warning: "May have an effect on activity and attention in children," but this labeling was missing in 10 of the 21 samples tested, according to chip.de.
Another serious violation was unlabeled allergens. Five of the 15 chocolates tested contained sesame and peanuts that were not listed on the labels.
"Some chocolate products contained allergens, but they were not labeled, which poses a risk to allergic consumers," the researchers stressed, as quoted by chip.de.
Quality deficiencies and compositional discrepancies
In addition to the health-hazardous elements, other compositional discrepancies were also observed. Some chocolate products were missing key ingredients – for example, milk chocolate did not contain milk fat, and the cocoa content did not meet the declared standards.
"We found lower cocoa content than stated in some chocolate products, as well as ingredients that did not meet the declared standards," the laboratories that conducted the study reported, citing information from chip.de.
The results of the tests have already been forwarded to the responsible food control authorities, who will decide how to deal with the manufacturers and importers. Fines may be imposed or even the sale of certain products may be banned.
Users are advised to be careful
Experts urge shoppers to be vigilant and carefully check product labels. It is important to pay attention to the list of ingredients and allergen warnings. If there are any doubts about the quality of the product, it is recommended to contact food control services.
This case demonstrates the importance of strictly checking the quality of imported products to ensure consumer safety.
