Nearly 6 tons of food and raw materials will be destroyed due to expired shelf life and non-compliance with technological requirements, the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) announced. The violations were found during inspections at a meat processing enterprise in Dimitrovgrad and in two cold storage warehouses on the “Maritsa“ stock exchange between Dimitrovgrad and Haskovo, related to the same company.
Inspectors found expired meat products returned from the retail chain at the enterprise, as well as discrepancies and ambiguities in the documentation for the movement of food.
It was also found that activities of defrosting, slicing, repackaging and re-freezing of meat are carried out on site for an external company without a signed contract. According to BFSA data, the information about the origin is transferred to new labels, and the expiration date is determined after re-freezing, which is unacceptable.
Violations were also found in the cold storage facilities rented by the same company. Over 15 tons of raw materials of animal and non-animal origin without the necessary technological documentation and traceability were found and placed under ban. In one of the chambers, 1,512 kg of expired food were stored, and the room was sealed.
In another warehouse, inspectors found over 3 tons of salted bacon without evidence of a compliant technological process, as well as about 1 ton of salted meat stored in wooden containers that did not allow for effective cleaning and disinfection.
Even during the initial inspections, poor hygiene was found - contaminated surfaces, compromised floors and walls, and insufficient sealing of the rooms. Food without labels and identification markings was also found, as well as discrepancies in the reporting of animal by-products.
The inspections in the case continue, with additional administrative measures and analysis of the documentation pending.
The action is part of the joint initiative “Clean Food“, announced in March by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency and the Ministry of Interior, BTA recalls. At a press conference held on Friday in Sofia, the acting Minister of Agriculture and Food, Ivan Hristanov, announced that over 1,000 inspections have been carried out since the start of the action.