A British private company specializing in food safety certification has found itself embroiled in controversy. The firm has been issuing documents to companies operating in Western Sahara, labeling their products as «products of Morocco», a move that has sparked outrage from an NGO aligned with the Polisario Front. In a statement, the Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW) condemned the practice, stating that «the credibility of the system is compromised by the acceptance of certificates containing false geographical information». The Brussels-based NGO claims to have reached out to the British company twice, in November 2024 and June 2025, to demand a «correction» of these certifications, but says its requests have been ignored. It is noteworthy that this same association, with close ties to the Polisario, previously targeted a private German organization a few months earlier. This organization had certified Moroccan and international agricultural companies active in Western Sahara, labeling them as «responsible». WSRW argued that issuing such certifications contradicts the rulings made on October 4, 2024, by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), which exclude products from Western Sahara from agricultural and fishing agreements between Morocco and the European Union. Moreover, Morocco and the EU provisionally concluded a new agricultural agreement on October 3, 2025, which includes the Sahara.
