site.btaNew Foods Act to Be Drafted on Proposals from New Consultative Council

New Foods Act to Be Drafted on Proposals from New Consultative Council

Sofia, March 23 (BTA) - A new Consultative Council on Foods with
 the Ministry of Agriculture and Food will seek the best
solutions for the forthcoming drafting of a new Foods Act,
Bulgarian Agriculture and Food Minister Desislava Taneva said at
 a discussion on protection of Bulgarian production mottoed
"Taste Bulgarian".

Representatives of the ministries of health, economy and finance
 will be invited to the Consultative Council because the entire
regulatory framework in the sector is coordinated with their
policies, Taneva argued.

"All Bulgarian producers must have a level playing field with
regard to what is required from them, including taxation and
labelling," the Minister pointed out. "The State has not done
enough for local producers in terms of the legal framework on a
non-discriminatory market access and food quality."

Loukan Loukanov of the Made in Bulgaria Union called on the
Bulgarian public and consumers for "economic nationalism". "It
is a shame that we import 87 per cent of the apparel in this
country, considering the large number of tailoring workshops, as
 well as fruits and vegetables that can be grown on our land,"
he said. Loukanov explained that imported products are cheaper
in many cases because the conditions in which Bulgarian
producers are placed are not the same as the foreign ones. "When
 these conditions become identical, only then I will agree that
our competitiveness is low," Loukanov said. He reported that a
national awareness-raising campaign entitled "I Choose
Bulgarian" will be launched shortly.