Nearly 330 kg of food without documents of origin were seized on the Danube Bridge near Ruse. This was reported by the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA).
The inspectors came across the illegal goods during a routine joint inspection with officers of the “Border Police“. According to initial information, the meat was found in a refrigerated van with Bulgarian registration, driven by a Turkish citizen who had traveled outside the country.
The vehicle attracted the attention of teams from the “Customs“ Agency and “Border Police“ within the framework of the "Clean Food" campaign.
Dr. Georgi Dyakov, Head of the "Food Control" Department: “ Currently, as Minister Hristanov announced, the "Clean Food" campaign is underway and we have intensified checks at border crossings regarding food safety. The Danube Bridge is an internal European border, but the control is constant.“
Inspector Nikolay Yosifov from the Regional Directorate for Food Safety added that the goods were without documents of origin, part of it - with labels in Turkish, and stored under inappropriate temperature conditions.
Inspector Nikolay Yosifov from the Regional Directorate for Food Safety: “During the on-site inspection, we found that the goods were without any documents of origin. The driver himself explained that he was traveling from Plovdiv to Romania, without giving exact details of where exactly he would unload the goods. It was labeled in Turkish, but without any documents. In addition, it was stored under inappropriate conditions, which poses a risk to the health of consumers. The goods were banned from trade and subsequently sent for destruction in a rendering plant.“
Yosifov added that the food was of animal origin - chicken meat and perishable sausages, some of which had damaged packaging. The vehicle's refrigeration unit was not working, and the car had been rented from a car rental company.
Dr. Georgi Dyakov, Head of the “Food Control“ Department: “The vehicle did not have the necessary registration. It was equipped with a refrigeration unit that was not turned on, and the vehicle itself was not registered for this type of transport. It was rented by the Rent-a-car company for this purpose.“
The goods are destined for destruction as animal by-products. A penalty of 500 to 1,500 euros is provided for the violation, and a report is drawn up for the driver of the vehicle.
Three similar cases have been identified in recent months, with the Bulgarian Food Safety Authority reporting increased control within the framework of the “Clean Food” campaign and around the Easter holidays.