The Consumer Movement for Food Quality Association from Pančevo said today that a recent examination of the food product market in Serbia revealed an “alarming situation” regarding the authenticity of products such as honey, rakija and wine.
The Association states that the sugars and ethanol found in the inspected products were not of natural origin, as well as that quite a few products were diluted with water.
In terms of honey, the Association says that as many as 22 samples (88 percent) out of a total of 25 tested honey samples from the seven largest retail chains did not pass the authenticity test.
This means that a large part of the honey that is currently sold in seven large supermarket chains does not meet the criteria of authenticity and could not be classified as honey as various types of sugar were added to the honey in considerable quantities.
88.89 percent of the tested wine does not meet the relevant criteria
According to the research, as many as 16 wine samples (88.89 percent) out of a total of 18 wine samples sold at the largest supermarket chains which are mostly imported, did not meet the authenticity criteria. The majority of the tested wines were diluted with water and alcohol.
6 out of 7 rakijas of dubious origin
As many as 85.71 percent of the examined rakija samples (6 out of 7) did not pass the examination that confirms the botanical origin of ethanol in them, said the Association.
According to them, this indicates a serious problem related to the credibility of product labels and confirms that it is necessary to act urgently in order to ensure the prescribed quality of rakija.
The Association appeals to relevant authorities, producers and retailers to take urgent measures to ensure the authenticity and quality of these products in Serbia.
(Biznis i Finansije, 24.10.2023)
https://bif.rs/2023/10/ispitivanje-pokazalo-alarmantnu-situaciju-u-kvalitetu-meda-vina-i-rakije/
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