The European Commission (EC) has issued a food alert after detecting high levels of an unauthorized pesticide, methomyl, in some watermelons from Morocco, after receiving a notice from the Rapid Alert for Food and Feed (Rasff) from Spain.
The notification occurred on the 14th, with an update on the 20th, through the Rasff system, through which Spain communicated the alert to the EC, which in turn sent the information to the rest of the countries of the European Union (EU).
The EU detection system has categorized the level of risk as "serious". However, it has not specified the level of pesticide detected in this fruit, one of the most consumed during the summer in our country. According to the notification, no action has been taken in reaction to this finding either.
According to the consumer organization Facua, the intercepted Moroccan watermelons contained traces of an insecticide in a proportion higher than that allowed on the European market. Specifically, in a proportion of 0.38 / -0.19 mg/kg-ppm, when its Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) is established at 0.015 mg/kg-ppm.
According to a report published by the EC, in 2022, 990 notifications related to pesticide residues were registered through Rasff, a decrease of 20% compared to 2021.
From Facua they remember that methomyl is "a substance that is used as a pesticide and that can have serious consequences in some cases." The organization adds in a statement that methomyl can cause symptoms of intoxication such as "headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, excessive sweating, tremors and blurred vision" and that its mixture with alcohol "can impact the nervous system."
