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Rabat – Morocco’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food Safety Authority have denied rumors circulating against Moroccan produce, including strawberries.
In a statement on Sunday, the ministry described rumors linking Moroccan strawberry products to Hepatitis A as “inaccurate and baseless,” noting that the safety of strawberries, like all other agricultural products, is subject to annual monitoring and surveillance programs to guarantee their quality.
The ministry’s statement comes as several reports linked Morocco’s strawberries with Hepatitis A.
Last week, the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) issued a notice, warning of the detection of hepatitis A in Moroccan strawberries imported into Spain.
The rumors promoted concerns, with the Valencian Farmers’ Association (AVA-ASAJA) labeling the situation as a “public health danger.”
In response, Morocco’s National Office for Food Safety (ONSSA) also denied the rumors, emphasizing that Morocco’s strawberry produce exported to Europe have been cleared of Hepatitis A virus contamination.
All tests returned negative results for Hepatitis A and Norovirus during investigation and analysis, with no signs of contamination detected in the irrigation water, ONSSA said.
Recalling ONSSA’s notice, the agriculture ministry has called on citizens to be cautious of false information, urging them to refer to official sources for any information related to food safety amid rumors targeting local products.
The ministry emphasized that it reserves the right to take legal action against the dissemination of false information to combat the spreading of false information against local produce.
