Caretaker Minister Hristanov: 67 tons of meat and 65 tons of dairy products seized in "Clean Food" operation

The caretaker Minister of Agriculture and Food, Ivan Hristanov, announced the "Clean Food" operation, during which 67 tons of actually seized meat and 65 tons of dairy products were stopped. If the disputed batches are included, the total amount of meat reaches nearly 100 tons.

According to Hristanov, the inspections covered the entire chain – borders, transport, warehouses, slaughterhouses, markets and commercial networks. Objects throughout the country are being inspected, including in schools and kindergartens.

The Executive Director of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA), Angel Mavrovski, explained that it all started with an apple in a school, which was supposed to be organic, but was found to contain pesticides. Violations have been found throughout the country, with the largest volumes in Haskovo (150 tons), Dimitrovgrad (10 tons), Varna (25 tons), Pleven (4.4 tons), and Sofia (2.4 tons).

The most frequent violations are expired shelf life, lack of a label in Bulgarian, lack of documents and markings, lack of traceability, poor storage. Consumers are advised to look for fresh meat with a clear origin and a blue stamp.

The minister emphasized illegal slaughterhouses as a network for dumping real food and urged consumers to pay attention to the expiration date and to look for farmers' markets.

Work is also continuing regarding the movement of animals, stopping illegal movement, which is a major vector for the spread of diseases. For 2025, there are 192 outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease, affecting 25,000 animals.

From today, the passenger flow from the regions affected by foot-and-mouth disease will undergo disinfection, and luggage will be checked. The disinfectants at the borders have been changed. Hristanov announced that they will deepen the control of the illegal import of pesticides, as well as their work on the final food operators.