Laura Conde A few weeks ago, a health alert was issued due to the presence of chlorpyrifos residues, a pesticide banned in the European Union since 2020, in a batch of melons from Morocco. Spain was the country that activated the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) of the European Union after detecting a batch of Moroccan melons that exceeded the allowed maximum levels of this insecticide used to combat pests and insects, which, despite being prohibited in some countries, continues to be used without restrictions in many others. Despite the immediate halt in the distribution of these melons after the analysis, a few weeks later and in the midst of the fruit season, it is worth considering whether this situation poses any risk to consumers.
In this regard, the consumer association FACUA-Consumers in Action criticizes the scant information published by the European Commission, casting suspicion on all melons from Morocco, since it does not provide details about the producing company or even the specific region in which they were grown. Melon growing in field. Hands holding melon.
Harvesting. Melon with hands harvest in the garden According to Fernando Bejarano, director of the Pesticides and Alternatives Action Network in Mexico (RAPAM) and the International Network for the Elimination of Contaminants (RIEC), chlorpyrifos is “toxic, persistent, and accumulative, and it is necessary to remove it imminently from countries where it is authorized, from Morocco to Mexico,.
