EU Recalls Moroccan Peppers Over Banned Pesticide Contamination

Pesticides (chlorpyrifos and fenazaquin) have been detected in these peppers from Morocco after routine checks at the border with Spain. Levels between 0.21 and 0.1 milligrams of chlorpyrifos and fenazaquin per kilogram of this Moroccan product were detected, while the maximum limit is 0.01 milligrams.

The RASFF considers this alert to be very serious. Chlorpyrifos is a dangerous insecticide whose use has been banned by the European Union since 2020. Its consumption can affect human health, particularly the nervous system, according to analyses published by the health authorities of the European Union.

As for fenazaquin, it is a banned acaricide in Spain and generally used to eliminate whiteflies harmful to crops. Its toxicity is also proven. The RASFF has assured on its website that these Moroccan peppers have been rejected at the border and have not entered the Spanish market.