Morocco’s Secretary of State in charge of Handicrafts and the Social and Solidarity Economy, Lahcen Saadi, has called for banning the use of tar in the production of pottery intended for food use, following laboratory analyses carried out on samples of these products.
According to the Secretary of State’s office, circulars were sent to the heads of Handicraft Chambers and regional and provincial officials, urging them to take immediate measures to prevent the use of tar in food pottery production as part of efforts to improve product quality and ensure compliance with national and international health standards.
The statement indicated that specialized laboratory tests conducted on tar-coated pottery samples revealed elevated levels of several chemical elements, including aluminum, cobalt and arsenic.
The same source added that the findings suggest these substances could migrate into food during normal use of the pottery, prompting the call for precautionary measures aimed at protecting consumers and enhancing the safety of pottery products available on the market.