Hepatitis A: a new batch of Moroccan strawberries intercepted in Spain

These Moroccan strawberries contaminated with hepatitis A were intercepted at the port of Bilbao. They would be in transit to another EU country. The competent Spanish authorities ordered their destruction after the detection of this virus considered potentially serious, reports El Debate, recalling that on March 5, the agricultural organization AVA-Asaja had issued an alert concerning a shipment of strawberries from Morocco, contaminated with hepatitis A.

The Unió Llauradora i Ramadera organization called on the authorities to "guarantee the health safety" of consumers, urging them to inform the public about the controls carried out on products imported from third countries, mainly from Morocco. "We are very concerned that random checks and inspections are being carried out and that the discovery of a disease or virus is a matter of chance," said the general secretary of the organization, Carles Peris.

For its part, the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture denied these "rumors and false information" about the presence of hepatitis A in Moroccan strawberries, stressing that it is a campaign aimed at tarnishing the reputation of Moroccan agricultural products. The Moroccan authorities reserve the right to take legal action, the Moroccan ministry threatened.

After the alert of March 5, an investigation was opened by the National Office of Food Safety (ONSSA), added the Moroccan ministry, specifying that it made it possible to identify the field and the packaging unit in question, to trace the shipment and to carry out all the necessary analyzes in order to control the quality and determine any potential health risk.