Industry and consumer sources in the agri-food sector agree that port inspections in Spain follow reliable, well established protocols that consistently work well.
These checks are particularly necessary for items that lack clear rights in some regions, especially when compared with other European areas. Nordic countries, cited by sector voices, are viewed as more permissive. Yet Spain relies on exporters around the world to bring in these foods and products, regardless of origin.
In this context, observers consulted by Asaja-Sevilla describe a port authority network that is common across Europe, aimed at exercising tighter control over everything entering the European Union.
Overall, these same sources view the control measures at key Spanish ports, such as Algeciras, positively. A representative sample of items from each container is routinely inspected to ensure compliance with safety and sanitary standards.
Concerns rise over hepatitis A in Moroccan strawberries. Is it dangerous?
Another topic is the import of foods that may not directly endanger health but raise concerns about safety, such as a hepatitis A finding in strawberries from Morocco. This issue has attracted public attention and highlighted questions about the use of banned phytosanitary products in Europe.
The sector has long criticized what it sees as a mismatch between different regulatory provisions. There is ongoing frustration with bureaucratic hurdles, mixed messages about the flexibility of the Common Agricultural Policy, and the measures taken by Brussels. There is talk about stalled agreements with Mercosur and New Zealand and tighter import checks, particularly on Moroccan goods.
Rubén Sánchez, the secretary general of Facua-Consumidores en Acción, explained to El Correo de Andalucía that two types of port inspections are performed: visual and laboratory tests. He noted concerns that a sweeping conclusion could arise that all Moroccan strawberries carry hepatitis A, which would misrepresent the reality. He emphasized that checks follow established protocols and that a shipment from Huelva joined with a distributor from Seville does not automatically reach the market.
Health authorities have stressed that all traceability steps for the hepatitis A cases were followed and that thorough procedures were in place to identify the source of any contamination.
The Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (Aesan) was urged to move beyond alerting through the community rapid alert system and to publish data on the importer behind the shipments, the size of the batch involved, and the agricultural origin of the producer. The aim is to clarify whether a single farm is implicated or broader issues exist that require attention.
In response, Sánchez pointed to the lack of public information on the health warnings within the Aesan portal, while noting that although the strawberry case has drawn public attention, other cases of fruit arrivals have occurred in different markets. Aesan officials stated that on a given date they received notification from the General Directorate of Foreign Health about the presence of concerns related to the hepatitis virus in a batch of strawberries destined for Andalusia. The agency then moved to share relevant data with the regional authorities so they could determine appropriate actions and allocate resources accordingly.