Low prices for meat products in some markets lure citizens of Kosovo into buying them, regardless of their quality.
Recently, some individuals were caught at customs with 20 tons of expired beef from Belgium and over 100 children were poisoned from meat consumption in Mitrovica. These cases raised questions among citizens about the quality of the meat that is imported and consumed.
A small survey conducted by KosovaLive with participants from different cities found that the majority of them buy meat products at the butcher, although it costs more than at markets. It additionally found that most of them had accidentally bought rotten meat, mostly in markets, and none of them reported it to competent institutions.
Shahe Kastrati, a citizen of Kamenica, has accidentally bought rotten meat many times in markets. She tells why she avoids purchasing meat at markets and expresses her concern regarding meat products that come from Brazil.
“… That’s why I don’t buy it. I buy meat at the butcher’s store because it is fresher,” she says.
The head of the organization “Konsumatori” (the consumer), Selatin Kaҫaniku, says that The Food and Veterinary Agency continuously makes sure that meat products sold at markets are safe for consumption.
“We find some suspicious prices at markets. Take a look at the products that markets offer. At most markets, meat products are covered in ice and that says a lot about their quality and expiration. Some have started to turn blue. Look if the fridges are working properly, under neon lights meat looks fresher than in reality. Some chicken legs have excess bones that should be removed according to standards,” he says.
The majority of Kosovo citizens consume Albanian sausage. It can be bought for 1.5 Euros a kilo in markets, compared to the 7 Euro a kilo at the butcher’s.
According to Kaҫaniku, you can see that there is something not right based on the low prices of Albanian sausage at markets, because we are dealing with “industrial sausage with the main ingredients being fat and spices.”
“There are surprising and bizarre happenings at supermarkets. A while ago, in a market in Podujeva, a mouse was found in a sausage. The organs of a cow that was hit by a car in Vushtrri were found being smuggled to Peja to be processed and sold. We suspected that frozen meat from Brazil was also processed and sold to citizens,” he says.
At the same time, he recalls cases where the criminal has been caught. Years ago, nearly 400 tons of expired meat were found in Durrës, Albania, destined for the market of Kosovo, as well as nearly 160 tons of canned fish that was supposed to be charity help for families in need.
Labinot Talla, manager at the meat processing factory “Kuvilab-Oreks” in Prishtina, says that the citizens of Kosovo consume meat products but unfortunately consume the cheaper ones.
“Our products are very safe and of good quality since we purchase meat from the Netherlands, which is one of the places with the strictest meat standards and a place that is known for high quality meat. We never use stale meat. Every month we order a truck of meat from the Netherlands, to make our products fresher,” he points out.
According to him, meat can stay in markets for three months. However, in cases where the temperature of the fridge is not adequate, then there are high chances of it becoming rotten.
Lamir Thaҫi, official at The Food and Veterinary Agency, explains that markets in Kosovo are not only examined by their veterinary, phytosanitary and sanitary inspectors but also by the respective inspectors of the municipalities.
“Each time we encountered suspicious products of animal sources that have been kept in inadequate conditions, but also when we encountered expired products, the inspectorate confiscates the products and initiates court processes,” he says.
KosovaLive has attempted to learn how many kilos of meat have been confiscated in Kosovo last year, but the information office at The Food and Veterinary Agency has not replied.
Based on two press releases, The Border Veterinary Inspectorate of The Food and Veterinary Agency confiscated 20 tons of beef from Belgium and 20 tons of chicken from Great Britain last year.
According to the Department of Economic Analysis and Agriculture Statistics, last year alone 4.8 million kilos of unprocessed beef was imported to Kosovo.
The countries that most export meat to Kosovo are: Slovenia with nearly 2.4 million kilos, Italy with over 927 thousand kilos, Croatia with 366 thousand kilos, Montenegro with over 155 thousand kilos, and Bosnia and Herzegovina with over 149 thousand kilos.
Kosovo Agency of Statistics states that last year, Kosovo has imported animals and meat products worth approximately 110 million Euros, and has exported goods worth 775 thousand Euros.
Thaҫi points out that all food products legally imported to Kosovo are checked at customs.
“Every imported cargo goes through detailed examination. It begins with the examination of the paperwork, which has to be the original copies, containing the health certificate of the origin of the product and other documents that prove it is safe for consuming. Then there is the physical and organoleptic examination. After all of these examinations, the inspector takes a sample for laboratory analyses. Only when the product meets all the legal criteria during the examination process can it enter the market,” he points out.
According to Kosovo’s Law on Livestock, the individual who produces, processes, preserves, imports and sells food for animals and additives that violate standard procedures can be fined from 1,000 up to 10,000 Euros. In more severe cases, the inspector can temporarily confiscate the building where the violation took place, while the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development can revoke the license of the violators.
Kaҫaniku from “Konsumatori” believes that there are further problems, because no institution is fulfilling its legal obligation from the Law on Customer Protection that states that consumers should be informed of their legal rights.
This law regulates and protects basic consumer rights while purchasing goods and services on the market as well as the duties of sellers, producers and suppliers.
Arbresha Berisha
