Food control in retail to be put in charge of Ministry of Health

The control of food in retail facilities in Serbia will be put in charge of the Ministry of Health upon the adoption of the proposed amendments to the Law on Food Safety.

The control of food of animal origin in facilities registered by the Ministry of Agriculture (such as slaughterhouses) remains under the competence of this ministry, it was said on Friday, December 21, 2018, at the meeting of the National Convent on the EU, that is, the Task Force for Chapters 11, 12 and 13 (Agriculture and Rural Development; Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Policy; and Fisheries).

The meeting was attended by representatives of several ministries, as well as representatives of the civil society in Serbia, who noted that a public discussion about the proposed amendments to the law had not been held, Tanjug reports.

The participants discussed the amendments and the definition of the term “food” in the new law, but also the fact that the profession had not been given an opportunity to give its opinion on the amendments, as well as the fact that the proposed amendments were incomplete without, for example, a part which would pertain to organically produced food.

Considering that the proposed amendments have already been sent to the National Assembly, the Convent will try, as said, to present the profession's view through assembly committees before the voting, so that numerous proposals would be adopted through the amendments, thereby improving the safety and the quality of food in Serbia.

Representatives of the NALED asked at the meeting for the definition of “unsafe food” and “best by” to be made more precise, because, as they say, if the difference between food safety and food quality, as well as its shelf life, are not clearly defined in these amendments, it could lead to losses as food would need to be thrown away.

Ministarstvo zdravlja Republike Srbije

Ministarstvo poljoprivrede, šumarstva i vodoprivrede Republike Srbije

NALED Beograd

Law on Food Safety

food control

National Convent on the EU

organic food

organic production