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» Stories on food safety

Albania

Establishment of the National Food Authority in Albania
By Urim Bajrami, editor-in-chief, Shqip, 24 July 2008
An interview with Albert Dadesky, the leader of a European project helping Albanian authorities set up a food authority in accordance with European standards and regulations.
Click here to read article in English and in Albanian

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Consumer protection delayed
By Ermin Zatega, the Center for Investigative Reporting, Sarajevo
Alerts about unsafe food in BiH can take days to translate into action. Authorities in the rest of Europe move within hours to get bad food off shelves and out of reach of citizens. Here, things move more slowly.
Click here to read the story with photos

Officials Acted Slowly In Poisoning Case
By Ermin Zatega, the Center for Investigative Reporting, Sarajevo
A significant outbreak of Salmonella in Tuzla could have affected fewer people had health institutions reacted faster – claims the author of this article. At least 224 people became sick after they ate food from a well-known fast food restaurant, a doctor at the Health Center in Tuzla said. At least 15 of them required hospitalization. Health Center officials admit that they did not notify food inspectors quickly enough.
Click here to read the article published by the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIN)

Bulgaria

OLAF is checking more companies for SAPARD
By Kirill Kirchev, Dnevnik, published on 10 March, 2008
Brussels wants to stop the disbursements for 49 projects for 81.4 million euros. The European services are checking three more companies, two of which are connected with the Ludmil Stoikov’s group. This group was accused of stealing 7.5 million euros of the program SAPARD in 2006. The disclosure was followed by a news story about the temporary stopping of agricultural program’s subsidies.
Click here to read the English summary of the article and read it in Bulgarian

Croatia

How safe is the food in Croatia?
By Diana Koller, Radio Kaj, also broadcast on Radio 021 Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Serbia nad on Radio Ime, Tirana, Albania
The expression “food safety” is not widely known in Croatia. Consumers are not fully aware of their rights ensured by the law.
Click here to listen to the interview in Croatian

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, and read the script in Croatian and in English

Hungary

Ignorance will cause Hungary to lag behind
By Tamás Bodoky, Index.hu, published on 7 April 2008
Genetic engineering is the best existing, riskfree method for selective breeding claims Dénes Dudits, a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, chief director of the Academy’s Biological Research Center in Szeged. He is outraged by the worries of environmental activists. Mr Dudits, a sort of „chief of marketing” of genetically modified plants, reckons that the above ecological issues are unfounded and unscientific, and that Hungarian regulations are too strict, while the efforts of environmental activists are part of an „ideological war”. Dudits stressed the importance of cooperating with multinational companies, and that the moratorium on growing genetically modified plants in Hungary is unjustified and harmful.
Click here to read the article in Hungarian

Moldova

Quality certificates confirm product safety
By Irina Lipcanu, editor, Business Class
In the Republic of Moldova about 20 enterprises are certified in compliance with international quality standards on food safety. This holds true even if quality certification is a mandatory requirement for export.
Click here to read a summary in English and to view the original article in Russian 1, 2

Traceability of food products
By Irina Lipcanu, editor, Business Class, published on 1st July 2008
A new system is being implemented by the Moldovan government: the law on food traceability requires that all animals in the country have to be registered.

Montenegro

From Farm to Fork
By Dragana Unkovic, Montenegro Media Institute
The story deals with irregularities of the food industry: examining problems of production, retail conditions and of monitoring as well as testing. One of the main issues discussed is the risks related to selling dairy products at open markets.
Click here to read a summary in English and view the film

Romania

New trend in alimentation: local products
By Mihaela Naftanaila, Evenimentul Zilei, published on 11 March, 2008
People should be encouraged to eat local products, not „mills products”, because the first ones are safer for the organism. The risk of contamination by microbes and parasites is lower. Furthermore, local products are richer in vitamins and minerals than transported products. This was one of the conclusions that experts agreed on, at a few seminars on “Food Safety”, held in Hungary.
Click here to read the English summary and the original in Romanian

Serbia

Advertising food for children
By Ana Glisic, reporter, Production Group Mreza, Belgrade – aired on 15 March 2008 on RTS Radio Television, Serbia
An NGO in Belgrade started a campaign examining the safety and advertising of children’s food in Serbia. The aim of the campaign is to stop the marketing of unhealthy food for children.
Click here to view the film in Serbian with English subtitles

Slovenia

We should complain more about the food we pay for
By Nina Knavs, reporter, Dnevnik, published on 12 June, 2008
If consumers were more aware of their rights considering food quality and safety, sellers and producers would respect them more. Expert on food from the Slovene consumer association Marjana Peterman therefore advises never to pay for something that doesn’t have the right smell, appearance or temperature.
Click here to read original article in Slovenian and the summary in English