The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) stopped nearly 190 kg of food of animal origin intended for kindergartens and nurseries in Vratsa. The products were banned after an inspection found serious discrepancies in their transportation, temperature regime and traceability.
Early in the morning of April 6 this year, a BFSA inspector followed a truck from a parking lot in front of a retail chain store to a kindergarten in the regional town, where the unloading of the goods began. An official inspection was carried out on site with the assistance of employees of the ODMVR – Vratsa and inspectors from the Regional Directorate for Food Safety – Vratsa.
In the cargo compartment of the vehicle, both chilled and frozen foods of animal origin were found - beef and pork, minced meat, poultry products, sausages and fish. The mandatory chronological record of the temperature maintained in the refrigerated compartment of the vehicle, which proves compliance with the so-called cold chain during transportation, was not presented.
In control measurements, temperatures of 4.5°C were recorded for chilled foods with a specified regime of 0–2°C, and when required for –18°C for frozen products, the thermometer showed –2.4°C. The temperature in the cargo area was 5.9°C.
Non-compliance with the temperature regime creates conditions for the development of microorganisms and increases the risk of foodborne infections, especially when consumed by children.
Inconsistencies were also found in the documentary traceability of the delivery - lack of documents for some of the products, discrepancies in batch numbers and data on a supplier with temporarily suspended operations. Additional suspicions of fraud are raised by the fact that some of the meat products are labeled with a production date of April 6, 2026, although they were available in the vehicle in the early hours of the same day.
An order was issued to ban all identified foods. An act of administrative violation was drawn up against the manager of the company - owner of the truck. BFSA is investigating the relationships between companies in the food supply chain to municipal sites in Vratsa.
The agency has requested assistance from the Ministry of Interior to track the movement and stay of the vehicle in Vratsa and Sofia. Additional checks of deliveries, transport documents and temperature records for previous periods are planned. The materials on the case will be sent to the competent regional prosecutor's office.
BFSA continues massive inspections throughout the country to guarantee the quality of food and the health of people and animals.