9.4% of food inspections revealed problems, customer deception

Food inspectors conducted 25,000 food checks over the first six months of 2018 and found shortcomings in 2,363 cases, representing 9.4 percent, stated Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Gabriela Matečná (SNS) at a press conference on Tuesday along with Slovak Veterinary and Food Administration director Jozef Bíreš. According to Bíreš, the fines imposed on offenders amounted to more than €3 million in the first half of 2018. Most issues were discovered with fruit and vegetables, namely with apples, peppers, tomatoes, grapes, and cabbage, while inspectors found salmonella bacteria in eggs and mechanically separated poultry meat. In several cases, inspectors noticed that the origin of foodstuffs was concealed or falsified, including in particular, food from Poland, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy and Turkey.