EU Alert: Banned Pesticide Found in Moroccan Olives Shipped to Spain

The agency has warned against the distribution in Spain of these olives imported from Morocco and controlled at the Spanish borders on August 18th. According to the RASFF, the analysis of this batch of Moroccan olives revealed the presence of 0.067 mg/kg-ppm of the pesticide Chlorpyrifos, while its maximum residue limit (MRL) is 0.01 mg/kg-ppm, reports Horto Info.

The Spanish authorities assure that these Moroccan olives have only been distributed on Spanish territory. The European Commission has banned the use of this pesticide since December 2019 due to its dangerousness. Exposure to low doses of chlorpyrifos (CPF) could cause cancer, according to a study conducted by a group of researchers from the faculties of pharmacy, biochemistry and medicine at the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina.