As the olive harvest campaign is in full swing in Morocco, stalls are filling up with unlabeled and untraceable bottles of oil. This anarchic proliferation is of great concern to consumer associations, who point to major health risks and call on the authorities to outright ban informal sales.
The markets in northern Morocco are facing a worrying proliferation of fraudulent olive oil . While demand is exploding with the new harvest, consumers seeking low prices are exposed to products of unknown origin, triggering a massive response from the health authorities.
The liter of olive oil is now trading around 55 dirhams in Moroccan markets, a sharp drop compared to the previous season. However, this price calm is accompanied by a worrying increase in fraudulent practices, prompting consumer advocates to sound the alarm on the quality of the products in circulation.
Moroccan olive oil professionals denounce a practice of consumers who press the oil themselves to avoid fraud.
The National Office of Sanitary Safety of Food Products (ONSSA) published a clarification this Saturday, November 8, in response to rumors circulating on social networks. These claimed the alleged return of a cargo of Moroccan olive oil by a European country due to the presence of pesticide residues.
The information relayed in the European press and Moroccan media concerning a general suspension of imports of Moroccan cherry tomatoes following a health alert issued in the Netherlands is false.
Des organisations de protection des consommateurs appellent les autorités locales à renforcer les contrôles des snacks sur les plages en cette saison estivale afin d’éviter toute intoxication alimentaire.
A food quality control operation conducted in Taroudant has resulted in the seizure of a significant quantity of products unfit for consumption. The intervention, which targeted two clandestine warehouses, led to the confiscation of nearly 5 tons of adulterated olive oil and its derivatives.
Egypt has decided to temporarily suspend the control of food exports to Morocco. This is due to the rather long delays in customs clearance of Egyptian agricultural and agri-food products at Moroccan ports.
The elements of the Royal Gendarmerie of the prefecture of Nouaceur, in the Casablanca-Settat region, proceeded on Sunday to the seizure of illegally installed water pumps used by some farmers to irrigate their agricultural land with wastewater.
In order to optimize marketing and ensure better performance, livestock breeders have started the fattening operation of sheep destined for sale on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, after obtaining authorization from the Ministry of Agriculture.
As Ramadan approaches, the Moroccan authorities are tightening the screws to ensure food safety. A large-scale market control operation was carried out in Oujda, with significant results.