AMMAN, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Europe will share food quality and safety data with Jordan to help the kingdom enhance food monitoring, local daily The Jordan Times reported on Monday.

    The Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA) announced on Sunday that Jordan will join European's Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF).

    "Through this system, we will be informed of the recall of any product before importing it from the EU or elsewhere," said JFDA Director General Mohammad Rawashdeh.

    Previously, the administration was informed of food product recalls or potential contamination through the kingdom's embassy in the concerned country, or through the European Commission, according to the official.

    Rawashdeh added that the measure does not only include European products.

    "The system entails exchanging information on any food products, regardless of the country of origin. Whenever we discover unsafe food products, we will inform European countries and they will do the same," he explained.

    The measure comes amid several recalls of food products imported by the kingdom. Among those cases, the administration last week confiscated part of a shipment of 600 U.S.-made chocolate bars after being informed that the product tested positive for salmonella, a kind of rod-shaped bacteria which can cause food poisoning, typhoid and paratyphoid fever.

    RASFF is a system adopted within the EU whereby member states are alerted when a residue of potential concern has been detected in food of domestic or imported origin.