French officers raid importers of banned Algerian rival to Nutella
Customs agents in Marseilles were jubilant when they pried open a shipping container to find nine tonnes of contraband substance.
The illicit goods were not, however, drugs or cigarettes, but 15,300 jars of sticky hazelnut spread.
The port seizure in May was part of a campaign by the authorities to bar El Mordjene, a sweet Algerian spread that enjoyed explosive success last year thanks to a craze propelled by TikTok and Instagram.
Across French cities, officers are raiding shops in areas with populations from the country's big 'Maghreb', or north African community, in a vain attempt to stamp out a black market in El Modjene.
Despite seizures, such as a 200kg kilogram shipment confiscated in Argenteuil, a Paris suburb, in April, the supply continues, with jars selling under the counter and online for an average of €15, with some reaching €25. That is up to six times the price paid for the product in Algeria.
The authorities banned the spread in September because it contains 12 per cent dried milk and Algeria has no agreement with the EU to import dairy products.
Fans of the sweet spread, including many in Algeria, believe France has acted out of malice towards its former colony at a time of raised tensions and to protect Nutella, the Italian chocolate hazelnut spread. Ferrero, which produces the spread, has its biggest factory and market in France.
'The EU took action once the spread posed a threat to Nutella's market share, leading to rigorous testing and the establishment of stringent standards,' Mustapha Zebdi, the head of the Algerian Consumer Association, said.
Lotfi Khammar, an official with the Federation of Algerian Exporters, said: 'Competition with Nutella was the real cause of the ban on the Algerian product entering France.'
The El Modjene row has triggered claims of sinister motives from both sides of France's cultural divide.
On social media, posts by Algerian-French people see another attempt by mainstream France to 'keep down' its Muslim immigrants. Some claim that the spread was banned because its logo features a woman wearing a veil.
Right-wing commentators see the craze for El Modjene, which has a creamy flavour many liken to Ferrero's Kinder Bueno bars, as another symbol of a takeover of traditional white France by Muslims from the Maghreb.
The Ferrero group has denied that it was involved, saying it 'refutes the reports about its supposed implication in the prohibition in France of any product'.
Cebon, the company which has made El Modjene at its factory near the Algerian port city of Oran since 2021, is unhappy and bemused by the way it has been eliminated from the French market after freely importing the spread for three years.
It points out that the illicit dairy product is French powdered milk. 'This is the limit because we have been exporting this product since 2021 and the powdered milk we use is bought in France and just processed in Algeria,' Amine Ouzlifi, the company's commercial director told le Parisien newspaper.
The company has also promised legal action against imitators who exploited the raging demand for El Modjene by marketing taste-alike copies in France, some of them made in Turkey.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Why France's top power couple is making political waves
They are arguably France's top power couple. Lea Salamé, 45, the co-host of the country's top morning radio news show for 11 years, has just been picked to anchor the evening TV news on state-run France 2 – the equivalent of BBC News at Ten. Her partner Raphael Glucksmann, a centre-Left heavyweight, also 45, is limbering up to be a presidential contender. On Monday, he presented his 'vision for France', a 42-point plan to 'regenerate democracy 'and 'de-monarchise' the country when Emmanuel Macron's second, and final, term comes to an end in 2027. The high-profile pair has shone a fresh spotlight on the (some would say cosy) relationship between French politicians and political journalists, which has given rise to a string of romances over the years and continues to raise eyebrows over potential conflicts of interest. The sudden focus on their relationship comes as the race to succeed Mr Macron – whose presidency is increasingly rudderless domestically – is heating up, with several potential presidential candidates showing their colours in recent days. Mr Glucksmann, an MEP and darling of bourgeois bohemian Left-wing moderates and Greens, emerged as a possible national leader last June after a strong showing in the European Parliament elections. His Socialist-backed Place Publique came third, almost overtaking Mr Macron's Renaissance party. Jordan Bardella's hard-Right National Rally finished way out in front. The staunch European federalist and Russia critic has since urged the French Left to jettison ties with Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the radical Left-wing firebrand, and return to its moderate, social democratic roots. The ambitious power duo's sudden surge in media prominence has sparked questions over whether they can both keep their jobs in the coming months. Aymeric Caron, an MP allied with Mr Mélenchon's France Unbowed party, said that while he respected Ms Salamé as a journalist, 'her partner is a politician who wants to play a leading role, yet the [evening] news offers us an interpretation of events and society with a hierarchy of information and political interviews. I wonder how this mix will work in terms of public service.' Antoine Chuzeville, a French national union of journalists (SNJ) rep at France Télévisions, a state broadcaster, added: 'If [Me Glucksmann] finds himself in a major controversy in early September, it will be very complicated for her.' However, he told Gala magazine the French were now used to such situations, pointing to the so-called 'Anne Sinclair precedent'. Ms Sinclair was France's best-known female political chat show host when she became romantically attached to former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn in 1988. She withdrew from the 7/7 show in 1997 when he took up his finance ministry post to avoid a conflict of interest. DSK, as he was known, later saw his presidential ambitions scuppered when he was arrested in New York in 2011 on sexual abuse charges of a hotel maid, charges that were later dropped. Quizzed on Monday, Mr Glucksmann promised: 'The issue will be decided in a completely transparent manner that will avoid any conflict of interest. She is she, and I am me. It's 2025, and I couldn't imagine discussing with her whether she should or shouldn't do something so important for her career because we are involved in a political process. 'So, things are out in the open, transparent, very clear.' Ms Salamé said she could withdraw from her job if Mr Glucksmann officially threw down the presidential gauntlet, but that the French were now mature enough to accept they both had high-flying jobs they could keep separate: 'Times have changed, and the French, including politicians, are much more feminist than one might think.' Media interest in the couple came as the 'pre-campaign' for the French presidency is starting to gather pace despite two years remaining in Mr Macron's second five-year term. The centrist French president lost his absolute majority in disastrous snap legislative elections last June that neutered his domestic powers. Not only that but the results left a deeply divided parliament and since then a string of prime ministers have been unable to make headway amid the constant threat of no-confidence motions. After a year in limbo, Mr Macron could theoretically now call fresh elections. Alain Duhamel, one of France's highest-profile political analysts, told The Telegraph: 'There's uncertainty about how long the government will last, and since Macron is regaining his power of dissolution, there's a certain amount of uncertainty about what might happen in the next, let's say four or five months. 'And from this point of view, some people are saying, now's the time to make a move before the political scene changes again, so let's make a mark.' Against this backdrop, Mr Glucksmann is the second potential candidate to test the waters this week. Dominique de Villepin, Jacques Chirac's swashbuckling foreign minister who famously said 'non' to the US-led war in Iraq war at the UN in 2003, launched his own Humanist France party and released a book – de rigueur for French presidential hopefuls – called The Power To Say No. Nouvel Obs, a French news magazine, said the title was 'misleading' as it really meant ''yes' to a presidential candidacy in 2027'. The 71-year-old Napoleon fan, who has never held elected office and harks from the centre-Right, has launched a phoenix-style comeback largely sparked by the Israel-Gaza conflict. His defence of the Palestinian cause and De Gaulle-style pro-Arab stance has seen him become an unlikely hero of the radical Left. He was recently mobbed at the Fete de l'Huma, an annual Communist bash organised by L'Humanité, a far-Left newspaper. His central tenet is to unite the French in the defence of 'social justice and republican order'. Mr Villepin argues that France needs an impartial and experienced statesman in a world 'entering the age of the new despots' who believe 'freedom is a luxury that today's world can no longer afford'. His panache and diplomatic credentials have seen him surprisingly crowned France's most popular political figure for the second straight month. However, in terms of voter intentions, he is languishing at the 2.5-5 per cent mark. 'De Villepin has alienated all Right-wing voters, and those on the Left like him but will never vote for him,' a senior member of the conservative Republicans party told Valeurs Actuelles. 'For the moment, he only talks about international issues. The day he ventures into economic issues, the honeymoon will quickly come to an end.' Further Left, Mr Mélenchon is expected to run for a fourth time. In a recent interview with The Telegraph, the ex-Trotskyist, who came third in 2022, said he was ready, adding: 'If it's me, it's me, if it's someone else, it's someone else, but we'll take the decision that makes us the most effective electorally.' On the Right, a raft of other potential candidates are jostling for position, notably the interior minister Bruno Retailleau and Gérald Darmanin, the justice minister, while Gabriel Attal, the ex-Macron prime minister, hopes to replace his former boss. Meanwhile, the biggest potential presidential hitters continue to plough their furrow, albeit with a string of handicaps. Marine Le Pen still hopes to run but is stymied by an electoral ban over a recent corruption conviction that cannot be overturned until next year. Polls suggest the hard-Right leader would come way out in front in round one of presidential elections, as would Mr Bardella, her 29-year-old lieutenant. Amid reported tensions between the two, this week Ms Le Pen conceded: 'I have accepted the possibility that I may be unable to run. Jordan has accepted the possibility that he may have to take up the torch. Until then, I will continue to fight.' Currently, the chief rival to Ms Le Pen and Mr Bardella is Edouard Philippe, Mr Macron's popular ex-prime minister, who announced his presidential intentions in 2020. Like Mr Villepin, the centre-Right mayor of Le Havre also released a book this month. Called The Price of Our Lies, it is similarly alarmist about France's decline and offers pledges to fight populism and to enact labour and pension reforms. But Mr Philippe this week faced a legal complaint from a civil servant over alleged bullying, favouritism and illegal influence peddling. He dismissed the complaint as a 'sad vendetta' by 'a civil servant whose contract was not renewed'. Mr Duhamel said he did not think the complaint would torpedo his ambitions. 'But I don't think Philippe is active and visible enough at the moment. That's apparently his strategy, but I don't think it's the best one,' he said, pointing out that he is being caught up by Mr Retailleau, the interior minister, in the polls. With two years to go before the presidential elections and no national mandate bar his mayoral post, 'his problem is staying power,' added Christelle Craplet in Le Soir, a political scientist.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Calls for staff vaping rooms at work: Behavioural science expert says forcing vapers to go to same area as smokers outside is 'totally barbaric'
Forcing people who vape to huddle outside in doorways with smokers is 'totally barbaric', behavioural science guru Rory Sutherland has claimed. The vice chairman of advertising giant Ogilvy called for designated vaping rooms in offices so workers trying to quit cigarettes can stay away from temptation. He also accused politicians and campaigners of a having 'knee-jerk' desire to ban vaping, which he described as his 'salvation' because it stopped him relapsing into cigarettes. 'It probably came from a lot of middle-class people who didn't have a lot of smokers in their milieu,' he said. 'The chattering classes probably saw vaping as a kind of reversal because their own social set doesn't have many smokers. 'But it seems extraordinary that people who are well-intentioned [want to ban it]...with so little evidence to the contrary. '[The law] is being formulated by people who are not only non-smokers but probably have never smoked.' Mr Sutherland's analysis of how human behaviour affects society and influences marketing have made him a cult social media star, with 240,000 followers on TikTok. Speaking on the Smokeless Word podcast, he said he had a row with his bosses at Ogilvy, which inspired the TV series Mad Men and whose clients have included Rolls Royce, Dove soap and BP. Mr Sutherland's analysis of how human behaviour affects society and influences marketing have made him a cult social media star, with 240,000 followers on TikTok 'They said we're going to ban vaping,' he said. 'Why can't you have a vaping room in the office? There's no legal prevention on this. It's bull****. People say it's illegal, it's not. 'By forcing the vapers to go outside and stand with the smokers you are exposing people to temptation. 'It's like holding a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous in a pub. You wouldn't do that, would you? Forcing vapers to go and stand outside next to the smokers strikes me as totally barbaric.' He added that the best thing the Government can do sometimes is 'just stand back and get out of the way'. 'The balance of probabilities is that this is harm reduction, at least,' he said. 'We should at least give it a fair watching-brief trial and see what happens.' Smoke-free legislation was introduced in England in 2007, banning smoking in nearly all enclosed workplaces and public spaces, following similar bans in Scotland and Wales. The rules also put an end to smoking rooms which had provided a haven for smokers at work until then. They were so prolific that one of them was used as the setting for the BBC sitcom The Smoking Room, which starred Peep Show's Robert Webb and ran from 2004 to 2006. The TV show ran from 2004 to 2006, but had to close when the smoking ban came into force Then-Public health minister Caroline Flint launched a 100-day countdown to a ban on smoking in public places at a Wetherspoon pub in London Victoria station on March 22, 2007 Employers now have a legal obligation to make sure no smoking occurs on the work premises and in certain workplace vehicles. And although employers aren't required to provide smoking shelters or designated smoking areas, if they do it must be outdoor and not fully enclosed. But the smoking ban does not cover vapes, meaning employers have varying rules on using them at work. Since June 1, disposable vapes have been banned in the UK. With the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, the government also aims to ban tobacco products for anyone born after January 1 2009, and bring in further restrictions on the advertising and sale of vapes. Politicians have called for shops selling vapes to be licensed like alcohol outlets to prevent them getting into the hands of children. Caroline Johnson MP, a paediatric consultant, said: 'The market for selling vapes and other nicotine products needs to be tightened. If people needed a licence to sell vapes, it would make it easier to enforce the law, because they could immediately lose their licence if they sold them to children.' 'I would also like to see a restriction on vaping in public places, to match smoking. People may say it's 'nanny state', but most people don't want to live in a candy floss and blueberry-scented fog.' In a recent nationwide poll, think-tank Britain in Focus found most people are concerned by the number of youngsters puffing on brightly coloured disposable vapes, and shocked to learn that shops do not already need a licence to sell them.
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Dispute breaks out as dog owner is warned they are breaking a ridiculous rule after committing a very common act: 'Don't film'
A dog owner has clashed with a council worker over a little-known rule about pets in public. The dispute began when two City of Gold Coast workers told the owner that she wasn't allowed to tie her dog to a tree outside her motorhome. In footage taken by the owner's male friend and shared to TikTok, two council officers approached the vehicle and ordered the man not to video the exchange, saying he was not given 'permission'. He argued it was a 'public place' and continued to film the conversation while one of the officers, who appeared to be wearing a bodycam device, introduced herself as Helen. 'You can't have your dog tethered to this tree. You can have him tethered to your vehicle,' she said. The man filming the exchange challenged the council worker, asking what law she was referring to. Dog owners on the Gold Coast are required to keep dogs on a leash unless in a designated off-leash area. Failure to do so can result in an on-the-spot fine of $806. The dog in question appeared to be securely tied to a tree. 'It's great that you have him on a lead but people are walking past here and somebody said he was barking at them, they were afraid and he was aggressive,' Helen said. She explained a complaint had been made to the council and she, and her colleague, had been asked to investigate. 'I'm recording this conversation as we're in a public space. I'm protecting my rights,' the man said as he questioned the council workers authority regarding the complaint. Helen turned to the dog owner and asked whether she was responsible for three dogs she had seen next to the motorhome 'because this is a public place with people walking up and down'. The cameraman explained the two officers worked for the Gold Coast City Council for the benefit of the recording as Helen turned to him and asked him to be quiet. At this point, the male council worker, who had been standing away from the exchange, told Helen to 'leave it'. 'Keep [the dog] tethered to the truck and that will be fine,' Helen told the owner before walking away. 'The other two dogs when we came around the corner, they were off lead so if they're in [the motorhome] that's completely fine, but once they come outside they've got to be on lead.' Once the workers had walked away, the man behind the camera told his friend that 'when you hit them with the actual law they've got no authority'. A City of Gold Coast spokesman told Daily Mail Australia that 'ensuring a dog is under "effective control" in public is a legal requirement under the Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008'. 'In all public places, a dog owner/keeper must be physically capable of controlling the dog, by either having the dog on a leash or securely tethered to a fixed object under continuous supervision,' he said. 'These laws are designed to protect public safety and reduce the risk of dog attacks. 'As of July 2024, failing to maintain effective control can result in an on-the-spot fine of $806, with more severe penalties for serious incidents.' Social media users appeared to side with the dog owner and accuse council of overreach. 'All local councils need to be abolished,' one wrote.
