Morocco's Association of Fruit and Vegetable Producers and Exporters has rejected what it described as a "disinformation campaign" by European media outlets targeting Moroccan tomatoes. In a statement, the association said that Moroccan produce continues to meet strict inspection standards and that the country remains the leading non-European supplier of tomatoes to the EU, a position maintained since 2023.
According to the association, Morocco's export performance is supported by production quality and oversight from the country's food safety authority, ONSSA. It cited EU data showing that between 2020 and 2025, only 49 out of 5,502 notifications concerning imported plant products involved Morocco. This represents less than 1% of the total. "The data confirm the reliability of Morocco's inspection system managed by ONSSA, which is recognized for its high level of rigor and transparency," the statement said.
The response followed a report by the French consumer news website Que Choisir, which claimed that multiple pesticide residues were found in non-organic tomatoes from Spain and Morocco. The article alleged that "more than half of the Moroccan tomatoes analyzed and 80% of the Spanish ones contained multiple pesticide residues, compared to only 15% of the French samples."
The publication has sparked renewed tension within the European tomato market, where some producer groups have been calling for boycotts of Moroccan produce. Moroccan tomatoes have gained strong consumer demand in European markets based on price and availability, drawing criticism from competing growers. In recent months, Moroccan shipments and trucks have also been targeted in several European countries.
Data from Euroestacom (Icex-Eurostat) compiled by Hortoinfo show that Morocco exported 568,370 tons of tomatoes to the EU during the 2024/2025 season. Additional data from EastFruit indicated that the North African country reached total tomato exports of 745,000 tons in 2024/25, marking a new record for the sector.
Between July 2024 and June 2025, Morocco earned an estimated US$1.2 billion from tomato exports, according to the same source. The association reiterated that these results reflect the consistency of Moroccan production systems and the country's adherence to international food safety requirements.
Source: Morocco World News
