150 Tonnes of Expired Food Discovered in Haskovo

The Ministry of Agriculture and the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency have discovered 150 tonnes of food with an expired shelf life in Haskovo (Southern Bulgaria). The authorities are continuing inspections for illegal slaughterhouses across the country.

The Minister of Agriculture said that hundreds of tonnes of meat of unverified origin, with altered labelling, have been found in warehouses in different parts of Bulgaria.

Since the start of the operation, around 1,000 inspections have been carried out nationwide by the Ministry of Agriculture, the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency, and the National Police Directorate. Authorities have identified large quantities of food with unclear provenance and tampered labels in various storage facilities across the country. The checks cover border points, animal transport, warehouses, slaughterhouses, markets, and retail networks.

Yesterday, a meat warehouse in the Lovech region was also inspected. This follows earlier checks linked to illegal slaughterhouses in Kardzhali and Ihtiman.

The Ministry of Agriculture has advised consumers to pay close attention to product labelling and expiry dates.

According to caretaker Agriculture Minister, Ivan Khristianov, the most significant cases so far have been identified in several locations, including Haskovo, where around 150 tonnes of improperly stored food — including expired and unlabeled products, as well as goods returned by retail chains — were found. In Dimitrovgrad, just over 10 tonnes were identified, while in the village of Topoli, nearly 25 tonnes of products with traceability issues were discovered. Based on current estimates, between 200,000 and 400,000 households may have been affected.

Angel Mavrovski, Executive Director of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency, said that illegal activity was also uncovered in the Lovech region, including evidence suggesting that animal carcasses had been processed at the site. Further investigations are underway.

From today, inspections of food products intended for the Easter period will begin in retail networks.