Moroccan Peppers Pulled from French Market Over Pesticide Concerns

In May, French authorities withdrew a batch of Moroccan peppers, particularly the "Beef Horn" variety, which reportedly contained traces of banned pesticides following the RASFF (Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed) alert that revealed the presence of chlorpyrifos and thiabendazole, exceeding legal limits. Laboratory analyses carried out on April 28, 2025, revealed the presence of 0.038 mg/kg of chlorpyrifos and 0.039 mg/kg of thiabendazole, while the legal limit for these two substances is 0.01 mg/kg, according to notice No. 2025.3338, published by the platform.

Concerned, Deputy Naima Elfathaoui addressed a written question to the Minister of Agriculture regarding the circumstances of this incident, which threatens the reputation of national agricultural products in foreign markets and raises significant questions about the effectiveness of the control system, as well as the possibility of these pesticides infiltrating domestic markets as well. The elected official noted that "chlorpyrifos" is classified among pesticides with a serious effect on the nervous system, especially in children, and its use has been banned in the European Union since 2020, while "thiabendazole" is used as a fungicide under strict conditions.

Elfathaoui is surprised by the non-detection of this batch by controls in Morocco and demands clarifications from Ahmed El Bouari’s department. She also asked for measures to be taken to compel farmers to respect the maximum authorized limit of pesticide residues. Finally, she calls for disciplinary sanctions against offenders.