Control campaigns conducted by the National Authority for the Safety of Food Products over the past week have resulted in the seizure of 1,825 kg and 153.5 liters of foodstuffs unfit for consumption in the governorates of Zaghouan, Tunis and Kairouan, according to a statement published this Sunday by the Authority.
The Authority specified that its inspection teams have intensified on-site interventions in several governorates, as part of protecting consumers’ health and ensuring the circulation of healthy and safe food products. These actions are part of ongoing sanitary-control campaigns aimed at fighting practices that contravene the safety conditions of food products. Several violations were recorded, notably regarding transport, storage, labeling and sanitary traceability.
In the Zaghouan governorate, 731 kg of mozzarella cheese, corresponding to 250 cylindrical-shaped pieces, were seized. These products were transported aboard a van intended for goods transport, under non-sanitary conditions and not compliant with cold-chain maintenance requirements. During the inspection, it was observed that part of the quantity was still frozen, while another portion had thawed due to inappropriate transport and storage conditions, which could affect the product’s safety and endanger consumer health.
In the Tunis governorate, a joint control campaign conducted in the La Goulette area led to six inspection reports and four warnings, in addition to the closing of a restaurant due to several violations related to food safety conditions.
During the same campaign, two mandatory seizure orders were also issued. The first concerned the seizure of 22.5 liters of frozen lemon juice, stored in bottles of mineral water without indicating the preparation date or storage conditions, in violation of sanitary safety and traceability rules.
The second report concerned the seizure of 35 kg of red meat, 10 kg of white meat, 8 kg of merguez, 4 kg of choufrat and 10 kg of assorted fish, due to storage under non-sanitary and unsafe conditions, posing a danger to consumer health.
Other interventions carried out in the Tunis governorate also led to the seizure of about 177 kg and 131 liters of various foods, including lasagna, pastries, milk, cheeses, juices and yogurt. These seizures were carried out due to non-compliance with storage and conservation conditions, absence of labeling and legal mentions, lack of sanitary documents and legal invoices, as well as the presence of expired food products and others of unknown origin.
In the Kairouan governorate, the sanitary-control teams, in coordination with a unit of the Kairouan municipal guard, seized about 850 kg of traditional pastries, notably makroudh and ghraïba. These products were transported aboard a private car under conditions that did not meet the requirements for preserving and transporting foodstuffs.
The control operation revealed lapses related to the absence of hygiene conditions and legal labeling, as well as the lack of documents guaranteeing the origin of the product and its distribution channels. These irregularities necessitated the seizure of the products and the initiation of the legal procedures necessary against their owner.
These interventions are part of the ongoing strengthening of sanitary-control programs in the various regions of the country, particularly in the face of the increasing pace of consumption and circulation of perishable foodstuffs. The National Authority for the Safety of Food Products reaffirmed its determination to combat all practices likely to threaten food safety and citizens’ health, while ensuring the application of existing regulations.
