The European Union, through the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (Rasff), has issued a health alert classified as “serious” after detecting the presence of anisakis in hake roe.

The border control carried out in Spain showed the presence of anisakis in said product from Morocco, which is why it has been immediately withdrawn from the market.

For now, the authorities do not know if there may be other contaminated lots that have eluded controls and may still be for sale. However, the confidentiality policy of the organization that made the news public prevents us from knowing the final destination of the product or the border crossing where the parasite was detected.

The alert has been described as “serious”, since anisakis is a toxic parasite. It is usually found in fish and cephalopods such as squid or octopus, and usually causes digestive disorders and allergic reactions that can be serious.

This substance is contracted after ingesting parasitized food raw or in preparations that do not kill the parasite, which is why Aecosan, the Spanish Agency for Consumer Affairs, Food Safety and Nutrition, recommends being careful.