Antitrust Authority President Saeed al-Alfi has ordered a study of the quality of organic products sold on the market, saying that consumers prefer organic products because they are not sprayed with insecticides.
“We don’t have set standards for those products to compare to,” al-Alfi said, adding that the trade ministry will provide the standards soon in order to protect consumers.
“Inspection firms are only concerned with exports and do not inspect local market supplies,” he explained.
He said some companies falsely claim their products are organic. “There is no such thing as organic eggs or dates,” he said.
Organic Products Association Chairman Zakaria al-Haddad said there are no rules and regulations for organic products even though they have been sold in Egypt for thirty years. “Organic farms are supervised by a private company,” he said.
Al-Haddad called on the government to encourage the cultivation of organic products.
Isis Organic Products Company Chairman Mamdouh Abul Eish, for his part, denied that his local market products do not meet international standards. “It is the same product we export,” he said.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
