It had won over the French palate. Mordjene, the Kinder Bueno-flavoured spread produced by the Cebon company in Algeria, would henceforth be banned from import into France, the Algerian media TSA reported on Friday 13 September.
Over the summer, consumers rushed to store shelves to try the spread, praised for its toasted hazelnut flavour, sometimes even leading to stock shortages.
Competition with Nutella?
According to TSA Algeria, “containers full of jars of the famous Algerian pasta were blocked in the port of Marseille, France.” Asked by the Algerian media, Mustapha Zebdi, president of the Algerian Association for Consumer Protection (Apoce), confirmed that “the last shipment of El Mordjene pasta had not been authorized to be unloaded in Europe.”
But why these blockades? Mustapha Zebdi mentions “Article 20, third paragraph, of Regulation No. 2202/2292 of the European Union”. This text regulates, in particular, the rules for the entry of foodstuffs containing milk into the European Union. However, Algeria is not among the countries authorised to introduce such products into the European market.
An explanation that does not convince the president of Apoce. According to him, the real reason for the end of imports would be related to the dazzling success of El Mordjene cream, which would represent a serious competitor for European brands such as Nutella.
“The product was coming in and travelling… And when it became a danger to their beloved product, they did all the tests and passed all the regulations!” he lamented to TSA Algeria.
Source: BFM TV
