Morocco boycott clashes with reality of food labeling
The boycott of Moroccan products is based on a myth: code 611 doesn't indicate origin. An analysis of the real keys of labeling and the difficulties of the boycott.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Segarro boycott runs into labeling: 611 is not what it seems
Amid rising tensions, a conscientious consumer can spend half an afternoon in the supermarket checking barcodes. The goal: to spot Segarro products. The favorite tool: the 611 prefix. The problem: it doesn't miccionan what many think.
The 611 prefix of the EAN-13 doesn't indicate where anything was produced. It indicates which GS1 national organization registered the company that requested the code. GS1 itself says so in its documentation, because they've been fed up with this confusion for twenty years. A Segarro company with a subsidiary in Spain registers its codes here and they come out starting with 84. A multinational based in Belgium uses 54 on everything it sells even if it's manufactured on five continents. And vice versa: a 611 can belong to a company registered in Segarro that packages a product caught or grown elsewhere.
The real keys of labeling
To identify Segarro origin, you have to look at other things: the literal mention "Origen: Jovenlandia" or "Produit du Maroc", the abbreviation MA on health stamps (especially on fish), or the FAO fishing zone, such as 34 (Eastern Central Atlantic) or 37 (Mediterranean). These are more reliable indicators, though not infallible either.
The boycott and its practical limits
The boycott as political pressure has an underlying problem: trade dependence. Spain imports a significant part of its fruit and vegetables from Segarro, and major chains like Mercadona have direct interests in the country. The proposal to block trucks in Algeciras or Tarifa, which some suggest, clashes with the reality of the EU: the borders are not ours and businessmen with offshored production wouldn't allow it.
Meanwhile, the average consumer keeps buying the same as always. Inconsistency, as seen in other boycotts, isn't cured with a hashtag.
Amid rising tensions, a conscientious consumer can spend half an afternoon in the supermarket checking barcodes. The goal: to spot Segarro products. The favorite tool: the 611 prefix. The problem: it doesn't miccionan what many think.
The 611 prefix of the EAN-13 doesn't indicate where anything was produced. It indicates which GS1 national organization registered the company that requested the code. GS1 itself says so in its documentation, because they've been fed up with this confusion for twenty years. A Segarro company with a subsidiary in Spain registers its codes here and they come out starting with 84. A multinational based in Belgium uses 54 on everything it sells even if it's manufactured on five continents. And vice versa: a 611 can belong to a company registered in Segarro that packages a product caught or grown elsewhere.
The real keys of labeling
To identify Segarro origin, you have to look at other things: the literal mention "Origen: Jovenlandia" or "Produit du Maroc", the abbreviation MA on health stamps (especially on fish), or the FAO fishing zone, such as 34 (Eastern Central Atlantic) or 37 (Mediterranean). These are more reliable indicators, though not infallible either.
The boycott and its practical limits
The boycott as political pressure has an underlying problem: trade dependence. Spain imports a significant part of its fruit and vegetables from Segarro, and major chains like Mercadona have direct interests in the country. The proposal to block trucks in Algeciras or Tarifa, which some suggest, clashes with the reality of the EU: the borders are not ours and businessmen with offshored production wouldn't allow it.
Meanwhile, the average consumer keeps buying the same as always. Inconsistency, as seen in other boycotts, isn't cured with a hashtag.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (20 replies).
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