Zebdi Challenges Retail Practices as Algeria Tightens Rules on Vegetable Weight and Pricing Transparency
By Dr. Hana Saada
Algeria’s longstanding practice of selling fruit and vegetables with attached leaves, soil, and other non-edible elements has come under renewed scrutiny, as consumer advocates and regulators seek to enforce a recently issued ban aimed at standardising commercial weight and improving market transparency.
Mustapha Zebdi, head of the Algerian Organisation for Consumer Protection, said in an interview with Elayem.news that entrenched habits in the retail of fresh produce reflect outdated commercial practices rather than legitimate quality considerations, arguing that such methods ultimately conceal profit-driven distortions in pricing.
The issue, he noted, is not marginal but structural, as the inclusion of non-edible elements in weighed produce effectively reduces the actual quantity received by consumers while inflating the billed weight. Over time, the practice has contributed to eroding consumer trust and placing additional pressure on household purchasing power.
A joint ministerial decision banning the sale of fruit and vegetables with such “add-ons” has recently entered into force, aimed at curbing weight manipulation and improving product presentation standards. However, consumer monitoring groups report continued non-compliance among some traders in the early phase of implementation, raising questions over enforcement capacity and regulatory follow-through.
Zebdi dismissed industry justifications that such practices preserve freshness, describing them as unfounded, and questioning why products destined for export are not marketed under the same conditions if such packaging were genuinely necessary. He stressed that international markets operate under strict quality standards that do not accommodate such practices.
He further argued that the persistence of the phenomenon is primarily driven by attempts to inflate volumes and increase margins, even at the expense of product cleanliness and consumer fairness. According to him, the introduction of the regulatory framework now provides clearer benchmarks for assessing compliance and enforcement effectiveness, which were previously constrained by ambiguity.
Responsibility, he added, is distributed across the value chain, beginning with producers but extending through wholesalers and retailers, reflecting the interconnected nature of agricultural supply networks.
From a regulatory perspective, the focus has now shifted to ensuring that products reaching consumers comply with legal standards of weight and cleanliness, regardless of informal arrangements along the supply chain.
Separately, food security and agricultural governance expert Hassan Karim told Elayem.news that the effectiveness of the measure will depend less on its formal adoption than on strict field-level enforcement. He called for reinforced inspection mechanisms, deterrent sanctions, and the integration of digital monitoring tools and laboratory verification systems to ensure compliance.
He added that the current phase represents a critical test of regulatory credibility, as authorities seek to impose discipline on market practices and move towards a more transparent and equitable food distribution system.
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