Guest on the show "Alert" on News24 by Granit Sokolaj, food safety specialist Enriko Ceko spoke about the missing labels on chicken fillets, drumsticks or wings in our supermarkets. Ceko said that we should refer to the ISO 22000 standard, which deals with food standards and quality, which are specific to different types of products, including poultry meat.
"Analysis of critical points, at times when the product can be contaminated, i.e. pose a risk to the consumer. The supermarket is one of the places with the highest risk that animal-based products, such as poultry, can be contaminated, where viruses and bacteria can be picked up in the supermarket, such as Salmonella, E.Coli, Ruberola.
"There is a risk that 85% of products are contaminated in supermarkets, while only 15% in the food chain. The conditions of production, processing, transport, storage and final cooking must be determined," Ceko said.
Responsible entity and the consumer's right to be informed.
"The legal entity is obliged to transmit all information to the wholesale or retail buyer, who ultimately ends up in the supermarket. The entity that first receives the product open, not in primary packaging, is obliged to publish at the place of sale all information received from the importer. Even if supermarkets receive it closed, they must show the relevant data," Ceko explained.
Food safety specialist Enriko Ceko said that the food product label, based on the standard, should have 3 elements.
What is the product (technical and commercial name), who is the manufacturer (his address), the content of the product (where the nutritional elements should be indicated and there should be a note on how to consume the product).
He said that the Codex Alimentarius was also improved in 2018, and additional elements were added to it regarding the freezing and thawing of animal products and poultry.
"Not only should it be said melted but also how many times it has been melted, where it is not allowed to be melted more than 2 times, since it is not consumed. It should be said melted 1 time or 2 times, because 2 times has a lower price. We must refer to the food law, entities that deal with the trade of food products are obliged to implement the techniques. The Albanian food law, according to European standards, obliges them to evidence the traceability of the product, from origin to sale," said Ceko.
Further, Ceko added that a clause should be established that the entity that markets the product to another trader must ask the entity for the conditions under which this product should be processed and marketed.
"In the contract made, the entity that sold the product must go to the other entity and check how it markets the product, as its image is destroyed, sales fall. It is very simple to do and easy to implement," said Ceko.
(BalkanWeb)
