The Agricultural and Livestock Organizations Coordinator (COAG) of Almeria has denounced a new health alert reported in France concerning Moroccan peppers. The substance detected is imidacloprid, and the alarm was raised by a French company just before the product's entry into the distribution channel after discovering levels that more than doubled the maximum residue limit (MRL) allowed by the EU for human consumption.
"This has shown, once again, that border controls are not working. We don't know if the company that reported the alert is a supermarket or a distribution center, but the fact is that it has come to light thanks to a private initiative, and the level discovered exceeds the maximum residue limit allowed for this product by European authorities," says Andrés Góngora, provincial secretary of COAG Almería.
Following the reports of two consecutive cases of Moroccan strawberries contaminated with hepatitis A, on March 6 and March 15, COAG Almería is once again denouncing this serious problem, which is now affecting a horticultural product with a prominent role in Almeria's agricultural operations.
"We insist on the risks brought by imports, although the major concern lies in the lack of control and surveillance by European administrations at the borders. This is not the first case, and we fear it won't be the last. If there truly was proper surveillance and what comes from outside was actually monitored, we are sure that the number of health alerts would multiply," says Góngora in light of this new alarm.
Guarantee to consumers
Thus, COAG Almería demands a legislative amendment to effectively regulate the labeling and traceability of food in such a way that consumers will be able to know where each product comes from at any given time without the possibility of doubt or confusion.
"We keep insisting on the urgent need to impose clear labeling and for traceability codes to be as explicit as possible. It is the responsibility of the authorities to provide every possible guarantee to consumers so that when they buy a product, they know for sure where it comes from, bearing in mind that, right now, the only ones who guarantee the supply of a healthy product of the highest quality are European and Spanish producers," says Góngora.
For more information:
Andrés Góngora Belmonte, provincial secretary
COAG Almería
Tel.: +34 619 301 754
https://coagalmeria.net