A health alert under the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) was triggered on 4 March 2024, following a notification issued by the Spanish authorities, reporting the detection of the hepatitis A virus in strawberries imported from Morocco. Since then, the incident has caused an uproar in the Spanish and Moroccan press, and has been "instrumentalized in a smear campaign orchestrated against Moroccan producers", says Amine Bennani, President of the Moroccan Association of Soft Fruit Producers.
Bennani recounts a hectic week following the RASFF alert: "Following the Spanish notification, ONSSA (the Moroccan health authorities) immediately identified the grower in question, as well as the packing station, thanks to a flawless tracing system. Both the grower and the packing station were extensively sampled, covering all stages of fruit handling, from seeds to irrigation, greenhouses, inputs, and the packing station. All the samples turned out to be negative, and no trace of hepatitis A or norovirus was detected."
The producers' representative continues: "ONSSA has gone a step further by requiring the entire Moroccan production to be tested for traces of these viruses as of Wednesday. Samples were taken from all farms and packing stations and tested in ONSSA laboratories. The results came back after 24 hours and absolutely no trace of hepatitis A or norovirus was detected in Moroccan strawberries"
"We do not question the veracity of the notification of the Spanish authorities", says Bennani, "it may be an accidental and isolated incident, probably due to contamination by a sick worker during transport. But there is no question of widespread contamination, not even at a single farm or packing station."
While the producers' association is not dismissing the Spanish notification, it is accusing the Spanish media and producers of being behind a smear campaign targeting the Moroccan industry. Bennani says, "Immediately after the RASFF issued its alert, we saw the Spanish media and industry actors seize on the subject and multiply the television programs, demonstrations, and even use the incident to justify earlier attacks on Moroccan trucks. It is clear that the Moroccan strawberry industry is the victim of a Spanish smear campaign. Given the rapidity with which this campaign is being orchestrated, one wonders whether it wasn't planned in advance."
However, the producers' representative reassures: "We are carrying on business as usual. Our customers continue to trust us and are aware of the rigor of the Moroccan authorities and the ONSSA. Many of our customers in Europe, the Gulf States, and elsewhere have tested the shipments they received last week and found no trace of contamination."
At the end of the week, a new twist added to the controversy surrounding the contaminated strawberries, much to the astonishment of the industry players in Spain. The contaminated batch was allegedly imported by a company based in Huelva, revealing a practice decried in both Spain and Morocco, namely the redistribution of Moroccan strawberries as if produced in Spain. Bennani comments: "If that's true, it's something we don't encourage and don't like. On the contrary, we are in favor of more traceability and better promotion of Moroccan origin".
And Bennani concludes: "It's interesting to see how this little detail betrays the state of mind of our Spanish counterparts, who appreciate the quality of Moroccan strawberries until it's time to smear it with baseless accusations".
For more information:
Bennani Amine
Moroccan Association of Soft Fruit Producers
Tel: +212661243424
Email: phytoloukkos@gmail.com