Rabat – Moroccan food distribution company Vot’sante, specializing in chicken sales, is accused of producing fraudulent labels for their products and deceiving consumers to believe their poultry is farm-fresh.
“The brand Vot’sante is not certified to produce chicken under the agricultural label ‘farm chicken,’” said Morocco’s Interprofessional Federation of the Poultry Sector (FISA) in a joint press release with the National Association of Poultry Meat Producers (APV) on May 14.
FISA, under its legal authority to take action against fraudulent practices, denounced Vot’sante for violating state regulations by misleading consumers under articles 37 and 38 of Law No. 25-6 relating to distinctive signs of origin and quality of agricultural and fishery foodstuffs.
The Ministry of Agriculture confirmed that the company has never been registered as a lawful entity to provide so-called “farm raised” products.
Vot’sante advertises itself on Facebook and through its sales mechanisms as “a distribution company for healthy food.”
“Vot’sante is a responsible company, anxious to provide its customers with quality products that respect the environment and encourage our local producers.”
They state that their flagship product is “chicken raised according to a unique breeding method without antibiotics or any chemical products, with incomparable qualities and flavors.”
The veracity of Vot’sante’s modes of production is unclear, but their responsibility to follow mandated state certification practices has proven problematic.
In recent years, the Moroccan government has made continuous efforts to develop and enforce food laws and regulations. The country has expressed serious concern for preserving the health of consumers and enabling a Moroccan market in the European Union through the establishment of domestic surveillance over agricultural practices.
By law, producers wishing to label their animal or plant products as organic or natural, including the “farm raised” classification, must go through a legal certification and testing process.
In 2019, the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture imposed new regulations on chicken slaughter in an effort to establish more hygienic food spaces and prevent food poisoning. The regulations include requiring traceability documentation and methods for chicken transport.
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