Every fifth purchase by Slovaks contains some low-quality food, according to the findings of inspectors from the State Veterinary and Food Administration (ŠVPS) and the Agriculture Ministry who carried out 2,414 checks at stores between July 1 and July 24. The checks showed deficiencies in up to 549 stores, or 22.4 percent of the total, the SITA newswire reported.
“The biggest catastrophe was in checks at supermarkets and hypermarkets,” said Agriculture Minister Ľubomír Jahnátek, as quoted by SITA.
The inspectors from the Agriculture Ministry, who made 325 checks, found problems in 145 facilities, or 44 percent of those monitored, Jahnátek added.
The worst results were recorded in Billa and Lidl stores, followed by Tesco, Kaufland and CBA, SITA reported. On the other hand, the best results came from checks carried out in COOP Jednota stores, where the number of deficiencies was only 12 percent, SITA wrote.
The main problem at food stores was lack of hygiene, said ŠVPS head Jozef Bíreš. The inspectors often found mice, worms and insects in the rooms where food was being stored. Moreover, Bíreš warned that many shopkeepers do not observe hygiene rules when selling food products.
Another problem was the temperature at which meat, eggs or cakes were stored, he said.
Jahnátek said that the ministry would publish the results of the checks on its website. He added that it is necessary to make the rules stricter since those operating in the food industry had made Slovakia a “cesspit for low quality”, SITA reported.
Source: SITA
Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
