The heads of state of the Visegrad Group (V4) nations have joined forces to tackle the issue of double standards on food quality, it has been announced.
Hungary’s minister of agriculture said the poor quality food issue must be sorted out, and this aim will be advanced if European Union member states besides the Visegrad Group (V4) join its initiative to draft rules to ensure food standards are uniform across the bloc.
According to MTI, Sándor Fazekas noted that ministers of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia discussed the issue of international food companies supplying products of lower quality to central and eastern European countries than they deliver to western Europe. The V4 will call on the European Commission to draft rules sanctioning companies for quality deficiencies, he said.
Last month, the Hungarian government launched an investigation examining inferior quality products sold by multinationals in Hungary from the point of consumer protection and food safety. A report by the national food safety authority comparing 24 sample products sold in Austria and Hungary and confirmed allegations that the companies are trying to sell “food industry rubbish” in Hungary.