Belgium seizes pistachios exported from Lebanon that contain a carcinogen: this is where the problem begins

On May 3, 2023, Belgium announced the seizure of a quantity of pistachios exported from Lebanon due to contamination with “Aflatoxin B1”, which is one of the most powerful toxic substances that appear naturally and is produced by fungi. A few days before this incident, Cyprus seized #ground_cumin spices exported from #Syria via #Lebanon, and the reason is that it contains remnants of an unlicensed pesticide called Noron. This is not the first time that a scandal about food safety has come to light, and we remember well the letter sent by the Lebanese ambassador to Japan to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Lebanon in 2018, which sparked many reactions. The content of this message was that Japan is banning the import of Lebanese nuts as a result of they contain a kind of “smut” that grows and nests inside the pistachio shell and causes cancerous diseases when eaten inside the human body. This extract came after conducting several medical researches in Japan, several years ago, which included roasted pistachios. If the goods that are exported abroad contain this carcinogenic substance, what about the products and goods in the Lebanese market that lack effective control to ensure their safety, proper storage and packaging? Not many people knew about the news of the seizure of this shipment to Belgium and the carcinogenic substance it contained, and the Lebanese state did not issue any clarification about the details of what happened. It was found that the proportion of “aflatoxin B1” in the exported pistachios amounted to 261 ug/kg, while the maximum allowable amount is 8 ug/kg, which means that the amount present exceeds the allowable dozens of times. In a follow-up to the matter with the Ministry of Economy, the Director of Consumer Protection at the Ministry of Economy, Tariq Yunis, confirmed that “the ministry is following up the investigation after it was notified of a notification about a specific product in one of the countries. We are following the matter in detail, and we are awaiting sampling to ensure the validity of the results, and after their issuance, the decision is issued.” Either destroy it or return it, but no…

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