Dispute between Spain and Morocco over strawberries could end up in court

Tensions continue between Spain and Morocco over a shipment of apparently contaminated imported strawberries, with Moroccan entities now threatening lawsuits for damage to the country's reputation. The European Commission's Rapid Alert System for Feed and Food (RASFF) published a notice issued by Spain on March 4 due to the detection of hepatitis A in Moroccan strawberries. This is the second alert that Spain issues about Moroccan strawberries this year. The first warning was made on February 14 due to the detection of genotype II of the norovirus. Morocco's Ministry of Agriculture and its food safety agency, ONSSA, have denied reports from Spain about the safety of its strawberry exports. Morocco's Agriculture Ministry responded on Sunday, calling the hepatitis A alert false and an attempt to tarnish the reputation of Moroccan agriculture. The ministry said it immediately opened an investigation after Spain issued the notice. The ONSSA reported that its own laboratory results ...