France Recalls Mussels and Cockles Over E. coli and Notifies RASFF of Three Alerts in Bivalves, Two for Live Mussels From Ireland

Since mid-October 2026, France has accumulated several notices over Escherichia coli in bivalve mollusks. The official portal RappelConso published three voluntary recalls: on October 20 and 21, of bouchot mussels with the traditional specialty guaranteed (TSG) label, and on October 23, of large live cockles. In parallel, France notified the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) of three serious risk alerts, all based on company own checks: two for mussels from Ireland, validated on October 20 and 21, and one for a batch of French-produced clams, validated on October 15, which had reached Italy.

In the alerts, one batch of Irish mussels gave 790 MPN/100 g against the maximum of 700 indicated in the notification, and another, of live mussels in bags chilled at 3 °C and not depurated, 490 MPN/100 g against the limit of 230; the operator withheld it. Both samples were taken on October 15, and Ireland responded with the outcome of its investigations. The clams gave 2,400 against the limit of 230; no stock remained in France, and Italy withdrew them from its recipients. The cockles, from batch F6289076 and with a use-by date of October 24, exceeded 230 E. coli per 100 grams and were sold throughout France by a wholesale chain. The mussels, in 5-, 10- and 15-kilo sacks or loose at the fish counters of 13 supermarkets in four regions, share the packing date of October 14.

Bivalves feed by filtering large volumes of water and concentrate fecal bacteria from the growing area, especially after heavy rain. That is why European regulations use E. coli as an indicator: they classify production areas according to their counts and set, for live mollusks placed on the market, a limit of 230 MPN per 100 grams of flesh and intravalvular liquid. A high count does not prove the presence of pathogenic strains, but it signals fecal contamination, which may be accompanied by norovirus, hepatitis A virus or Salmonella. Depuration in clean seawater reduces that load, and the risk is greater in mollusks eaten raw or undercooked.

For depuration centers, dispatch centers and distributors, the series shows the importance of verifying each batch before dispatch and of monitoring growing areas after rain. TAAG's Specio 1.3 E. coli kit detects Escherichia coli by real-time PCR with melting curve in foods, beverages and surfaces, but mollusks are not among its validated matrices and the legal criterion is verified with a count by the reference method. That is why the association is indirect: the kit can support screening and surface verification, and any presumptive result must be confirmed with the reference method.