Toxic olives imported to Algeria from Israel

Senator Ali Akaak said Israeli pickled olives containing toxic bacterial substance passed by customs and entered Algeria’s western market.

• “It was declared that the imported olives came from Egypt but I have information that they came from Israel,” said the senator Monday.

  He wondered how the importers of this product passed by customs and how authorities were unconscious about that.

  “Commerce ministry did not check the use-by-date only after the product had been marketed. The colour, taste and smell changed.”

  The tested samples show that the pickled olives contain harmful bacterial substance. Because of that, they were withdrawn from the market.

  The senator did not give other details about the size of the imported charges neither the consumed quantities.

  He criticised the agricultural and commerce ministries for not standing by farmers’ side. “How does it come to import substances locally produced as part of the Arab agreement on free exchange while the State subsidises farmers?”