Although May has barely started and there is a month and a half left to welcome summer, the temperatures these days make it very appetizing to eat some fruit to cool off. That is why in supermarkets it is common to find melon and watermelon, which have arrived earlier than usual. These are two fruits that this year have not managed to escape high inflation, as well as the deceptions of some distribution chains in their labeling.
In recent days, there have been several cases in which imported melons and watermelons are put up for sale with erroneous or inaccurate labeling of their origin. This has been denounced by the Coordinator of Organizations of Farmers and Ranchers (COAG) on its page, which has detected “serious breaches” in chains such as AhorraMás or La Despensa.
Specifically, the label of these fruits lies about their origin, indicating that they come from Spain when, in reality, they are grown in other places such as Senegal and Brazil. Another trap occurs in melons and watermelons that come from Brazil or Senegal and where they are labeled as such when they are sold whole. However, the entity indicates, when it comes to serving the matches, whether in half or in quarters, those labeled point to a Spanish origin.
The organization, which accompanies this accusation with images to demonstrate the facts, specifies that these actions “are not anecdotal” and that “they once again call into question the supposed prioritization of national production by many of these companies and the traceability of the products”. In addition, this type of action deceives and confuses consumers, who do not have reliable elements to make the purchase decision.
In this sense, COAG requires commercial distribution to comply with the current labeling regulations for the sale of fruit and vegetables to the consumer and not play with the origin of the products. In the same way, it urges the autonomous communities and town halls to take action on the matter.
The backdrop to this type of deception is the difficulties it entails for Spanish producers, who are just starting the campaign for fruits such as melons or watermelons. “Distribution continues to import products from third countries, affecting our access to the markets, especially if the real origin of these fruits is not even noted, violating the law,” claimed Andrés Góngora, COAG’s State Responsible for Fruits and Vegetables.
