site.btaNational Ombudsman Manolova Alerts EU Consumer, Ombudsman about Difference in Quality of Food Offered in Bulgaria

National Ombudsman Manolova Alerts EU Consumer, Ombudsman about Difference in Quality of Food Offered in Bulgaria

Sofia, March 14 (BTA) - National Ombudsman Maya Manolova has alerted European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality Vera Jourova, and has sought cooperation from her European counterpart Emily O'Reilly, about ending the discrimination and double standards against Bulgarian consumers, Manolova's Office reported in a press release on Tuesday.

The Bulgarian Ombudsman notes that large multinational companies that produce foods and drinks are offering products of lower quality in countries from Central and Eastern Europe, including Bulgaria, which puts consumers in those countries at a disadvantage, compared to countries from the so called old democracies. These companies use contents of lower quality, even such that pose a risk to citizens' health and lives.

In her letters, Manolova stresses the fact that children are the most frequent consumers of lower-quality and even harmful foods, while their bodies are growing and need a healthy and nutritious diet. The Ombudsman notes that 26.2 per cent of Bulgarian children between the ages of five and 18 are overweight, while Bulgaria ranks 5th in obesity among children out of 32 countries in the World Health Organization's 53-member European Region.

Manolova requests that EU Commissioner Jourova demands from the European Commission to stop the sale of products bearing the same brand, but of different quality, in EU countries, as well as to create European legislation that would end such practices and double standards.