“The results of tests on 100 products to examine the quality of similar foods distributed in Hungary, Austria and several Western European countries are expected next week”, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Minister of State for Food Chain Supervision Róbert Zsigó said before Parliament’s Economic Committee on Monday.
The Minister of state said it was shocking and unacceptable that large food producers are applying double standards with regard to the quality of foods distributed to people living in Western and Eastern Europe, and are tricking consumers. “The Government is standing up for the interests of Hungarian consumers”, he stressed.
Mr. Zsigó also said that the products involved in the comprehensive testing that began on 20 February include spices, alcoholic and soft drinks, canned foods, frozen products, confectioneries and milk products. “Laboratory tests are being conducted and product labelling is being examined, including a comparison of prices”, he said.
The Minister of State recalled that tests conducted in 2014 on 24 products revealed that the same products distributed by the same supermarket chains are generally worse quality in Hungary than in Austria. “The investigation did not uncover any food safety problems”, he added. It is as a result of that investigation that a new, comprehensive investigation has been ordered, and the authorities or other Visegrád Group countries have also performed similar tests.
At the press conference following the meeting, Fidesz MP and Chairman of Parliament’s Economic Committee Erik Bán stressed that the Committee is supporting the Government’s efforts in the interests of finding a permanent solution. He said it was unacceptable that the companies in question are marketing lower quality goods on these markets.
The committee also supports the fact that the Government has put the issue before the European Commission, jointly with Slovakia, he added. “At the last session of the EU’S Agriculture and Fisheries Council, representatives of eight countries joined the joint Hungarian-Slovakian initiative calling on the Commission responsible to create the legal framework required to enforce equal treatment with regard to foods”, he told reporters.
At the Committee meeting, Jobbik MP Dániel Z. Kárpát asked the Minister of Stare whether the strategic partnership agreements the Government had concluded with several of the companies involved included any stipulations with regard to products, or if anything of the kind was planned. According to the MP, it was a mistake to disband the Consumer Protection Committee, and the Government should sit down at the negotiation table directly with the companies who apply this dual mechanism.
In reply, Mr. Zsigó said that the strategic agreements are nor concluded by the Ministry of Agriculture. “The Government has done everything possible in recent years to promote the quality of Hungarian foods and the consumption of locally produced foods, and the number of farmers has doubled. Food safety has improved continuously during the past five years and the regulations of the Codex Alimentarius are reviewed regularly”. “The National Food Chain Safety Office (NÉBIH) has prevented over ten billon forints in VAT and other tax evasion since it was established five years ago”, he explained.
Jobbik MP János Volner criticised the Prime Minister’s “short and hollow” statement on the issue at the V4 summit, adding that there will be no change unless the Government introduces tangible measures.
Deputy Chair of the Committee Csaba Tóth MP (MSZP) suggested that the body discuss the issue again once the results of the latest investigation become available.
At the meeting, Erik Bán explained: “The countries that have joined the Hungarian-Slovakian initiative together represent some 100 million people”. “Discrepancies have not only been found with relation to foods, but also in detergents and cleaning products. It would be good if the European Commission didn’t sweep the initiative of the table, but looked into the matter appropriately”, he said. he also indicated that he would be willing to support the idea proposed by the Czech Government, which would lead to the banning of such lower quality products in Member States.