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Rabat – The National Office for Food Safety (ONSSA) announced today that, as of September, it had seized and destroyed 33 tons of flour deemed unfit for consumption, while referring 60 cases to the relevant authorities.
The operations followed extensive inspections and sampling campaigns across markets and sales points, with 577 samples tested this year alone.
According to data obtained by SNRT News, ONSSA also revoked nine health licenses and suspended four others belonging to mills that failed to comply with national hygiene and food safety standards.
By comparison, in 2024, the office seized 38 tons of flour and referred 89 cases for further investigation, after analyzing 710 samples from mills and retail outlets nationwide.
The office noted that 191 mills across Morocco have been granted health certification to date, after proving their compliance with strict safety and hygiene standards governing production, labeling, and distribution. These mills are subject to routine inspection visits, with 212 inspections carried out between 2024 and 2025.
ONSSA added that its annual national monitoring program involves systematic testing of flour samples to detect contaminants such as aflatoxin, ochratoxin A, and zearalenone, while ensuring conformity in mineral content, moisture, acidity, and iron and protein levels.
Political controversy over wheat subsidies
ONSSA’s statement came amid a growing political debate following remarks by MP Ahmed Touizi, head of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) parliamentary group, that went viral yesterday after he alleged that some companies “grind paper and present it as subsidized flour.”
Speaking during a parliamentary debate over wheat subsidies, which cost Morocco MAD 16 billion ($1.73 billion) annually, Touizi questioned where the funds were going.
In response, the National Federation of Mills issued a statement firmly rejecting what it described as false and unfounded allegations. Federation President Abdelkader Alaoui said the remarks lack objective evidence and undermine the credibility of a strategic sector directly linked to national food security.
The controversy has reignited public debate about transparency and control in Morocco’s subsidized flour sector, as ONSSA continues to find irregularities and enforce food safety standards nationwide.
