Algeria opens two import control laboratories in Algiers
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Observ'Algérie
Algeria commissioned two analysis laboratories on Saturday at the port of Algiers and at Houari-Boumediene airport, capable of more than 190 analyses a day to check the conformity of imported goods. Built by the Ministry of Defence, these facilities are part of a national border control project, according to ObservAlgérie.
Algeria commissioned two laboratories for analysing imported products on Saturday 7 November 2026, at the port of Algiers and at Houari-Boumediene international airport, Observ'Algérie reported. Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb supervised their inauguration.
The two facilities, built by the Ministry of National Defence, have a capacity estimated at more than 190 analyses a day. Their creation responds to instructions given by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune at the Council of Ministers of 7 June 2026, and is part of a national project providing for the installation of control laboratories in the country's ports and airports.
The system provides for two levels: rapid analyses carried out directly at the borders, with results available within minutes or hours, then confirmation analyses carried out in the national laboratories. The equipment notably uses infrared spectroscopy and methods for detecting heavy metals, pesticide residues, natural toxins and microbiological contaminants.
The scope of analysis goes beyond foodstuffs: oils, spices, meat, honey, milk and dairy products, cereals and food supplements, but also cosmetics, detergents, packaging materials, children's toys, textiles and medicines. The controls are intended to identify non-conforming goods before they enter the market and to direct the relevant services towards the necessary regulatory measures. This inauguration comes the day before Algiers launches daily monitoring of food prices, announced on 7 November, and a few days after the seizure of 210,000 ecstasy tablets at the port of Algiers by the police.
