Regulators from the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture's Central Application and Research Department (UCIP) seized more than 400 boxes of sweet potato over the weekend, equivalent to 7 tons of sweet potato on the Zarifin wholesale market. The importer was questioned and a lawsuit was brought against him, and given the real public health risk of eating illegally imported sweet potatoes, all sweet potatoes were destroyed.

Since the beginning of the year, the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture has discovered, seized and eliminated around 200 tons of vegetables in 134 inspections that originate in the Palestinian territory and may pose a real threat to public health. According to the Israeli Agricultural Marketing Law, there are several restrictions on the importation of agricultural products into Israel, including: the obligation to transport goods in a legally regulated place, the sampling of agricultural microbiological products and the analysis of pesticide residues. Therefore, untested agricultural products could pose a threat to public health. In addition, pests and diseases can occur, which can destroy many agricultural industries.