The fake butter, about which information has emerged in recent days, was seized from the market back in January last year after a report was filed. This was stated by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Plamen Abrovski in an interview with bTV.
According to him, the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) reacted immediately by seizing the entire available quantity of the product, sealing the site and opening a prosecutor's file. The minister explained that the case is only now becoming public knowledge after the Competition Commission imposed sanctions on the companies involved.
Abrovski stressed that the problem is not in the reaction to the specific signal, but in the lack of follow-up control. According to him, during the last inspection of the two companies, inspectors found over five tons of expired food products, which were seized and destroyed, and the companies were imposed sanctions.
The minister pointed out that the inspections showed weaknesses in the regular control system and the lack of a mechanism for tracking companies that committed violations. According to him, this is what allowed them to continue operating after the initial case.
Therefore, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food is preparing changes to the Food Act and the BFSA standard operating procedures. The aim is to introduce enhanced monitoring of companies with repeated violations and more effective control throughout the agri-food chain.
It is also planned to build a national electronic food traceability system. It will register all products produced or imported into the country, from the moment they are first placed on the market. In this way, institutions will be able to track the origin, movement and shelf life of foods, as well as detect violations more quickly.
According to the minister, the system should be developed within six months and will allow for significantly more effective control over the quality and safety of foods that reach consumers.