EU Commissioner Andriukaitis Took Part in Discussion on Healthy Eating

Speaking at a discussion on food quality in Sofia on 8^th of March, the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis, said that the main problem for solving was the use of different ingredients in the same food commodity in Western and Eastern European countries. This also creates the prerequisites to speak about a "double standard". According to Vytenis Andriukaitis who took part in a discussion with citizens in Sofia, this should not be allowed.

The chair of the Bulgarian parliamentary committee on agriculture Desislava Taneva insisted that the rules be changed so that the products are of the same quality throughout the EU. The discussion was organised by the Representation of the European Commission in Bulgaria.

The main topics were related to the risks of using E and other supplements in baby foods, the difficulty for manufacturers to provide a quality and affordable product and a double standard in foods.

EU Commissioner Andriukaitis said that, despite controversy, EU monitoring shows that no country has so far reported that a particular food is harmful or dangerous.

It is very important to reduce the use of salt, sugar and trans fats in foods that lead to obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseaseс. In my opinion, the information that consumers receive in shops is very important. People can see the label and say: I will not buy this product, he noted.

Dessislava Taneva said that the understanding of quality is subjective for every consumer. We cannot change that. But we can change things so that buying a product in a given member state, consumers can be sure that the product is the same across the EU.

Deputy Ombudsperson Diana Kovacheva noted the worry in Bulgaria about the double standards in the foods for children and called for changes in the EU laws that would not allow them. The EU commissioner said that people should not be afraid, but he admitted that some manufacturers are adding unlicensed ingredients to extend the shelf life of food.

Vytenis Andriukaitis said that 25% of children are overweight because of foods. Measures need to be taken and I will be glad if this happens during the Bulgarian EU Presidency, he added. I would welcome, for example, if sugar in children's menu sugar is replaced with honey, he noted.

Dessislava Taneva specified that attempts to do so were made but so far have been unsuccessful. According to her, a possible solution would be to increase the budget for the School Fruit and School Milk Programmes.

Bulgarian fruit and vegetable producers have called for easier access to their products by end users and an equal start for all who comply with the rules. Commissioner Andriukaitis explained that there were changes to the common agricultural policy and that some of them would be linked to food quality.