In a press release published on Monday, the Coordination of Farmers' and Stockbreeders' Organizations (COAG) and the Consumers' and Users' Federation (CECU) announced that they had lodged a complaint with the Ministry of Consumer Affairs for "alleged non-compliance with regulations on the labelling of cherry tomatoes sold on the shelves of one of Spain's main retail chains. The complaint calls for an investigation into the situation and, if necessary, sanctions against the companies responsible for any consumer fraud." The two organizations condemn the sale of cherry tomatoes labelled as produced in Morocco, even though they are grown in Western Sahara.
"Products grown in Western Sahara could be marketed as Moroccan, thereby violating consumer rights as established by the Court of Justice of the European Union*. It is necessary to determine whether the true origin of the products is intentionally concealed, thereby damaging the interests of consumers, but also those of farmers, through unfair competition," according to the press release.
"The company Azura, which owns more than 400 hectares of greenhouses in Western Sahara, sells its cherry tomatoes throughout the European Union, labelled as produced in Morocco. We have seen these products being sold in several Carrefour stores in Spain. This situation has already been reported in France and is also recurring in Spain."
"These incidents, which are detrimental to both consumers and producers, must be investigated, as they constitute unfair competition for our fruit and vegetables," according to Andrés Góngora, a member of COAG's Executive Committee. "Although they produce in Western Sahara, we have never found a label on this company's tomatoes indicating that they were produced there. Traceability, which is compulsory under European regulations, and certification by companies are essential to determine the exact place of production of these imports."
*As a reminder, on October 4th, the Court of Justice of the European Union handed down a ruling on the labelling of melons and tomatoes originating in Western Sahara, in which it stated that the indication of the country of origin required on tomatoes and melons produced in Western Sahara can only designate Western Sahara, since these products are harvested in this territory. As this territory is distinct from Morocco and a customs territory within the meaning of EU law, any other indication could lead consumers to believe that these melons and tomatoes come from a place other than where they were harvested.
For more information:
COAG
coag.org
