Moroccan Consumer Rights Group Calls for Stricter Food Quality Controls

In an interview with Aljarida24, Kherrati deplored "the near-absence of control due to the intertwining of the powers of public institutions in this field". Morocco "is experiencing a real crisis with regard to the control of food products in general, and not only of olive oil," he added, stressing that "it is the consumer who ultimately pays the bill".

The president of the Moroccan Federation of Consumer Rights also noted that "the market lobbies prefer the weakness of surveillance to reap high profits", noting that "the absence of a specialized institution for consumer protection aggravates the problem".

To effectively fight against fraud, Kherrati called for the creation of an "independent body" responsible for monitoring the quality of food products. "The higher the price of oil, the more fraud intensifies," he affirmed, adding that "if the oil is not subject to the control of the National Office of Food Safety (ONSSA), is not packaged and does not bear the commercial brand of the institution concerned, it will be unfit for consumption".

Without control, olive oil will be "dangerous to the health of consumers, except in approved units," the official said. "The higher the acidity of the oil, the more negative its impact on health, which can lead to fatty liver disease," he pointed out, stressing that "control must start at the production unit level, by imposing strict health authorizations".