Moroccan olive oil: No shipments returned for health reasons!
Controversy is growing over allegations circulating on social media that a shipment of Moroccan olive oil has been rejected by a European country due to the presence of chlorpyrifos pesticide residues.
Professionals are expecting a good season for 2026, with a production of 200,000 tons of olive oil, including 60,000 tons for export
The controversy has grown to such an extent that the olive oil industry federation Interprolive has responded to put an end to it.
This trade organization formally contests and rejects all allegations, which it describes as false, having no basis, evidence, or official documentation to support them. Interprolive backs up its statements with data from the ONSSA (Moroccan National Office for Food Safety), published recently. In a press release, the Office denied all rumors and reaffirmed the health compliance of Moroccan olive oil, providing clarification on the matter.
According to this public body, the recall operation carried out in 2024 by the Belgian authorities was solely related to labeling deficiencies and not for health reasons. “The Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (AFSCA) noted the absence of mandatory information such as the batch number and expiry date” , explained ONSSA.
The Office added that “this did not make it possible to identify the origin of the product” . The Belgian authorities have therefore not confirmed that it comes from Morocco.
Interprolive thus maintains that no batches of Moroccan oil have been returned for health reasons.
In its press release, the ONSSA added that its inspection services carried out an inspection operation at the olive oil production unit involved in this controversy. “These inspections confirmed that the production process for this product complies with health standards”, said the Office, which was keen to emphasize the rigor of its control system.o
Khadija SKALLI
