Strawberries with hepatitis A from Morocco

Subject: Strawberries with hepatitis A from Morocco

On 4 March 2024, Spanish port controls sent an alert through the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) about the presence of hepatitis A in strawberries from Morocco, classifying the risk to the public health of European consumers as ‘serious’. However, even though the Commission has verified the risk, it has not yet implemented any measures1.

These strawberries could have been contaminated by irrigating crops with sewage water2, going against the quality standards set by the EU Regulation on water reuse for agricultural irrigation3. This situation is another example of the repeated rule-breaking with regard to Moroccan agricultural products and their failure to comply with EU standards in the field of plant health and food safety. This not only puts European public health at risk, but also constitutes unfair competition for European farmers who do respect and comply with EU standards and regulations, thus safeguarding consumers’ health.

In view of this:

How will the Commission ensure that agricultural products imported from Morocco comply with EU phytosanitary and food safety measures?

Submitted:6.3.2024

1 https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/screen/notification/667681

2 https://amp.elmundo.es/economia/2024/03/05/65e74790fc6c8375238b45a6.html

3 https://www.boe.es/doue/2020/177/L00032-00055.pdf

Joint answer given by Ms Kyriakides on behalf of the European Commission (27 May 2024)

Thanks to a very robust set of legislation, the EU has one of the highest standards in the world to keep food and feed safe. As part of the system ensuing food safety, the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) was established to ensure a quick exchange of information between Member States to support swift reaction by food safety authorities in case of risks to public health resulting from the food chain.

Immediately after becoming aware of the RASFF alert issued by the Spanish authorities, the Commission informed the Moroccan authorities so that they take the appropriate measures to determine the origin of this contamination but also the necessary corrective measures to avoid recurrence of such an incident.

The Commission will closely monitor developments in the situation in the coming weeks in order to guarantee that food imported from Morocco is safe for consumption.

1 ∙ ⸱ https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/screen/notification/667681

2 ∙ ⸱ https://amp.elmundo.es/economia/2024/03/05/65e74790fc6c8375238b45a6.html

3 ∙ ⸱ https://www.boe.es/doue/2020/177/L00032-00055.pdf






| | )In case of imports of food not meeting the EU requirements, the Commission can, taking into account in particular the level of risk associated with the hazard under consideration, the types of non-compliances detected during official controls by Member State competent authorities, and the frequency of border rejections, subject the imports of certain commodities to a temporary increase of controls, emergency measures or a suspension of entry into the Union (4).

4 ∙ ⸱ Commission Notice on information related to risks and non-compliance in the context of periodic reviews of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU)

2019/1793 2022/C 265/01.