Rabat – A Lidl franchise in France has been marred in controversy following accusations from customers who suggested that the supermarket has been mislabeling Israeli products as Moroccan to mitigate the impact of boycotts against Israeli products.
Lidl, the German international discount retailer chain, is operating in many locations worldwide, notably in Europe and the US.
Many people have shared a video of a customer warning other clients to pay attention to the labels while shopping.
The video documents the customer showing avocado products labeled as “from Morocco.” Upon inspecting the box, the label shows that the product is actually from Israel.
Upon fact-checking, one of the videos was discovered to date back to February and older tweets from 2020 resurfaced, expressing similar concerns from customers.
Many other netizens have asserted that the issue is still persisting.
“Same thing [happend to me] this morning at the Lidl in Vallauris in 06 – avocados from Morocco on the store label, and on the avocado, an Israeli label. These scammers, you really have to be careful before buying,” an X user wrote on November 8. “I think there are plenty of stores doing this to sell their stocks.”
Another X user also posted a video about the situation, calling on fellow customers to be “wary of false displays in Lidl ad Carrefour supermarkets.”
“The boycott is working so well that these supermarkets label products as coming from Africa or Morocco instead of Israel. Check the packaging and report it to fraud control authorities,” the user added.
The warnings came as millions of pro-Palestinian people have engaged in solidarity campaigns, urging for the boycott of Israeli products amid Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza.
Many organizations and activists have launched appeals calling for the boycotting of many international brands, including Puma, Siemens, Airbnb, Disney, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Domino’s Pizza, and Burger King.
The Palestinian BDS National Committee issued an appeal earlier in November, urging for the boycott of Israeli as well as complicit multinational corporations.
The appeals aid that the boycott can be effective if “done strategically.”
“Ending all state, corporate and institutional complicity with Israel’s genocidal regime is more urgent than ever. Our lives and livelihoods literally depend on it,” the appeal reads.
