New Tests Confirm Double Quality of Food in Slovakia and Austria
Bratislava, October 2 (TASR) – New comparative food tests in Slovakia and Austria have confirmed differences in quality of products sold under identical names and brands, Slovak Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Gabriela Matecna (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee) said at a press conference on Monday.
The announcement was accompanied by State Veterinary and Food Directorate director Jozef Bires and SNS MPs Eva Antosova and Tibor Bernatak.
Significant differences were this time found in around one half of the products.
“The second phase of tests was carried out on 33 products in the summer. I must observe that these test results also confirmed double quality with as much as half of the tested products,” said Matecna, adding that the samples were taken from retail warehouses in Bratislava and Senec (Bratislava region) and in Vienna.
“What were the differences? The most principal differences concerned the meat content. The share of meat was significantly higher in products sold in Austria. We had a lower share of meat, but a far higher share of salt, a fact that doesn’t please us as consumers, as salt increases the occurrence of cardio-vascular diseases,” said Matecna.
“The long-term use of low quality food has dangerous consequences on the health of our people,” said Antosova, adding that supra-national corporations seem to have mistaken Slovakia for a waste disposal site.
According to Bernatak, legislative solutions to the problem need to have several categories, including information campaigns, prevention and restrictive measures.
The first phase of tests, which included sensory and analyst evaluations, was performed in late 2016.
