site.btaOmbudsman Maya Manolova: Double EU Food Standard Should Be Banned by Law

Sofia, September 18 (BTA) - Opening a public discussion entitled "Double EU Food Standard: Are the Bulgarian consumers' rights protected?", Ombudsman Maya Manolova said the double standards used by food companies in the EU is not just discriminatory but is insulting to Bulgarian citizens. This infringes on the equality of EU citizens and undermines the very idea of the EU, she said. The forum discussed different food quality in Eastern and Western Europe.

Manolova warned that now the EU is faced with a possible compounding of the risk of two-speed Europe by the risk of two-standard Europe.

The discussion is designed to propose ways to prevent double standards used by food companies in selling products under identical labels with different ingredients and at different prices, which discriminates against Eastern Europe. This affects mostly Bulgarian children and teenagers, who regularly use such food products.

Manolova listed specific products showing vast differences in ingredients and prices. Testing of a well-known brand of baby food for which the most numerous inquiries and complaints were received showed it contains smaller, or the same, amounts of ingredients but its price is higher in Sofia than in Berlin. The same applies to children's chocolates, fruit and soft drinks, in which many ingredients are of inferior quality. For instance, glucose syrup is used as a substitute for honey.

A draft declaration was proposed to the participants in the event, which calls on the EU institutions to adopt legislation against the double standard. The document will be introduced into the European Parliament during a hearing in late September, Manolova said. She suggested that a legal framework should be created to ban selling identical brands with different ingredients in different countries and to set up a control body and impose tough sanctions. EU Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Mariya Gabriel backed Manolova's proposal in a video conference. She spoke firmly against double food standards and said solutions should be sought jointly by the power-holders, the business community and the public.

The discussion brought together Bulgarian MEPs, ambassadors of the EU Member States, Agriculture, Food and Forestry Minister Roumen Porozhanov, MPs, Dimiter Margaritov, Chairman of the Commission for Consumer Protection, the leaders of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency, representatives of producers' organizations, NGOs and experts.