1,203 tons of food were not allowed for import during the first quarter of the year

In the first quarter of 2021, the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) did not allow more than 1,203 tonnes of foodstuffs imported from third countries that did not comply with the legislation to enter the markets in Bulgaria and the EU.

Inspectors from the “Border Control” Directorate seized approximately 560 tonnes of mandarins and 190 tonnes of sweet peppers, for which laboratory tests established the presence of pesticide residues above the permissible levels.

In the first quarter, more than 60 tonnes of nuts (hazelnuts and peanuts) with established presence of aflatoxins were also identified and stopped at the border.

The import of 13 tonnes of honey, whose identification (origin, composition or other) was unsatisfactory, was stopped.

For comparison, during the entire year 2020, 2,100 tonnes of foodstuffs from third countries that did not comply with the legislation were stopped at the border crossing points of the Republic of Bulgaria. The quantity of seized consignments for the first quarter of 2021 is equivalent to 57% of the quantities for the whole of 2020.

Products for which non-compliances with EU Regulations and the legislation of the Republic of Bulgaria were established were directed for destruction or returned to the country of origin. The seized products subject to notification through the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) were reported without delay.

According to data from the BFSA