Malta Sesame Oil Recall: MCCAA Alert Sparks Rush for Local Alternatives Amid Festa Season

Food authority issues warning about sesame oil: What Valletta street vendors and Sliema home cooks need to know today

By Luke Pace – Hot Malta

The unmistakable aroma of sesame has long drifted from the doorways of Gozitan bakeries and the open kitchens of St Julian’s Asian fusion joints alike, but this week that scent carries a note of caution. The Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority (MCCAA) issued an urgent alert on Wednesday, urging importers, restaurateurs and household shoppers to check every bottle of sesame oil on their shelves after an EU-wide recall flagged high levels of potentially carcinogenic contaminants.

The warning arrives smack in the middle of Malta’s peak cooking season: village festa season, when qassatat are deep-fried until golden and sesame-studded ftira biż-żejt is passed between neighbours at open-air band marches. “We’ve had frantic calls from Żejtun housewives asking if their trusted sesame oil is safe for tomorrow’s imbuljuta tal-Qastan,” said MCCAA spokesperson Maria Spiteri during a press briefing in Floriana. “Our inspectors are now visiting every wholesaler from Marsa to Mosta to ensure affected lots are off the shelves by sunset.”

The recall, triggered by tests in Germany that found elevated ethyl carbamate and benzopyrene in certain brands bottled in Asia and re-exported through Italy, centres on three product lines most commonly stocked by Malta’s discount supermarkets and Asian mini-markets. Although no illnesses have been reported locally, the contaminants are linked to long-term cancer risk if consumed in large quantities—an unsettling prospect in a country where sesame oil is drizzled liberally over hobż biż-żejt, stirred into rabbit stew in Gozitan farmhouses, and used to perfume the trendy sushi bowls now popping up in Valletta’s restored palazzos.

Cultural resonance runs deep. Sesame arrived on Maltese shores centuries ago via Phoenician traders, and its oil became a quiet staple: an echo of Levantine heritage in a cuisine that likes to call itself purely Mediterranean. “My nanna used to warm sesame oil with garlic to cure earaches,” recalled Clive Briffa, chef-owner of Nenu the Artisan Baker in Balluta Bay. “Pulling bottles off our shelves feels like closing a chapter of memory, even if it’s temporary.”

Local impact is already visible. At the Ta’ Qali farmers’ market, Ġorġ Micallef, whose family has pressed oil from sun-dried sesame in small batches since 1987, says demand for his pesticide-free product has tripled overnight. “People want Maltese-grown because they know the chain,” he grinned, pouring a thimble of golden liquid for a curious tourist. Meanwhile, the Malta Chefs Federation has issued guidance to its 400 members, recommending temporary substitution with locally produced olive-pomace oil to keep traditional flavours alive while maintaining food safety.

Restaurants are adapting on the fly. In Sliema, Japanese-Peruvian hotspot Zest has swapped its usual sesame-oil drizzle for a roasted-peanut alternative, tweaking the menu description to read “inspired by Maltese resilience.” Over in Rabat, vegan café Lotus Root has launched a pop-up workshop teaching customers how to toast sesame seeds and infuse neutral oil at home—a creative workaround that keeps the taste and supports local spice importers.

The MCCAA urges consumers to look for lot numbers printed in black ink near the bottle’s base and to return any affected products to the point of purchase for a full refund. A 24-hour helpline (1773) has been set up in Maltese, English and Italian, and updates are being posted in real time on the authority’s Facebook page. Inspectors will continue raids through the weekend, particularly targeting seaside kiosks gearing up for the Santa Marija feast influx.

As the sun sets over the Grand Harbour, the warning serves as a reminder that even the smallest bottle on the kitchen shelf is part of a global supply web—and that Malta’s tight-knit food community, from village baker to Michelin-starred chef, will always rally to protect the flavours that define us. For now, the qassatat will still sizzle, the festa bands will still march, and the scent of sesame—though momentarily muted—will return, safer and stronger than before.