Morocco Cadmium Fertilizers Adaptation France Health

The Moroccan subsoil contains 70% of the world’s exploited phosphate resources, a raw material naturally laden with cadmium. Facing concerns from several French elected officials about agricultural competitiveness, the giant OCP, which accounts for approximately 40% of imports to France, has taken the initiative. By deploying effective decadmiation processes, producers have reduced the presence of the toxic metal from 73 mg per kilo in 2024 to 36 mg in 2025. OCP even assures that it has been supplying the European Union with fertilizers containing "less than 20 mg/kg" since February 2025.

On Bladi.net : France: a toxic metal in food, fertilizers from Morocco pointed out

This Moroccan technological breakthrough is entering the heart of parliamentary negotiations. To defuse a "genuine health bomb," a bill proposes reducing the current legal threshold from 90 mg/kg to 20 mg/kg by 2030. While Green Party deputy Benoît Biteau believes that "France must take responsibility," the government prefers to slow down. The executive wishes to postpone this minimum threshold to 2038, supported by deputies fearing an explosion in costs for farmers, although Inrae estimates this additional cost at only two euros per hectare per year.

On Bladi.net : Pancreatic cancer: a doctor blames the cadmium present in certain Moroccan fertilizers

The public health stakes remain colossal. This carcinogenic heavy metal infiltrates wheat, rice and vegetables, massively overexposing the French population. One-third of children under three thus exceed the tolerable daily dose. Faced with this alarming finding relayed by Le Progrès, the National Food Safety Agency recommends an extremely varied diet. Regularly replacing pasta with legumes makes it possible to limit the ingestion of these chemical contaminants while maintaining optimal nutritional balance.