FOOD SCANDAL / Albanian citizens consumed sesame seeds contaminated with aflatoxin. The product was distributed in 10 cities, including Korça

Although considered a healthy product and widely used in food, sesame seeds imported into Albania in January 2026 have been found to be contaminated with aflatoxin, posing a potential risk to human health.

The alarm was raised by the European Union, which informed Albanian authorities that laboratory analyses detected the presence of this dangerous toxin in black sesame seeds originating from Bolivia.

Aflatoxin is a poisonous toxin that damages the liver and, if consumed over a long period, significantly increases the risk of cancer. The risk is even more serious with sesame seeds because aflatoxin is invisible, tasteless, and cannot be removed by washing or cooking, leaving consumers completely unprotected.

Regarding this case, the television station “Ora News” requested information from the Albanian Food Authority (AKU).

The authority informed that the quantity of sesame seeds imported from Bolivia was 300 kg. Of this, 288.5 kg has already been sold and consumed by citizens, while only 11.5 kg has been blocked.

The contaminated product was distributed across several cities in the country, specifically:

Tirana, Durrës, Lezhë, Shkodër, Elbasan, Korçë, Pogradec, Vlorë, Fier, and Gjirokastër, spreading the risk to almost the entire territory of the country.

This is a photo of the product that directly endangered consumers’ health.

Meanwhile, AKU continues to provide partial information to the media and the public, refusing to disclose the name of the company that imported the sesame seeds contaminated with aflatoxin.

This stance contradicts previous decisions by the Commissioner for the Right to Information, who clearly stated that information related to food safety is a matter of public interest, does not constitute a trade secret, and should be made available to the media.

“KORÇA BOOM”