Hungary wants EU to take action on food quality discrepancies
Budapest, April 3 (MTI) – The Hungarian government expects legal steps from the European Union to counter practices resulting in discrepancies in food products sold in Hungary and other EU countries, Róbert Zsigó, state secretary for food chain supervision, said on Monday.
Although changes in ingredients and taste in comparable products in different member states are legal, the practice hurts Hungarian consumers, Zsigó told public news channel M1. The EU should step in so that all products should be the same quality in Hungary, Austria and Germany, he stressed.
The National Food Chain Safety Office (NÉBIH) closed a review of 96 products purchased in Hungary, Austria and Italy last Wednesday, Zsigó noted. A total of 84 food products, 7 beers and 5 pet foods were examined. Differences were revealed in 71 cases, including 30 cases in which the difference was based on the taste, 8 cases where there was a difference in the ingredients and 33 cases where both the taste and the ingredients differed, he said.
The review proved that in some cases, lower quality products are sold in Hungary than in western Europe under the same or a comparable brand name, Zsigó said.
Photo: Daily News Hungary
Source: MTI
