Within the next few days, the working group for those ahead of Easter in meat and eggs is set up, in accordance with the decision of the Minister for Rural Development, . The checks will begin next week and will be conducted at retail – wholesale, slaughterhouses, entry gates, national roads etc. According to the decision of Lefteris Avgenakis, the steps of the auditors will be made up of executives of the General Directorates of Veterinary and Food of the Hellenic Ministry of Veterinary Medicine, EPET, ELGO, DAOK, ELAS, the Economic Police, the Port Authority, the ADE, the SDOE and the Decentralized Administrations. It is noted that a meeting of the GG of the Hellenic Ministry of Agriculture, George Stratakos with representatives of the Federation of butchers and interbranch meat (EDOCK). Controls are aimed at protecting Greek products and producers, ensuring the quality of the products traded and protecting the consumer. At the same time, controls on dairy and fruit and vegetables continue, while controls on olive oil and honey have begun. Dairy controls Checks are carried out at retail outlets and supermarkets as well as at gateways to the country, i.e. ports and borders. To date, controls on milk products and processed products (tyrocomates, dairy products, etc.) have focused on the quality and labelling of products, i.e. whether the content is in line with those indicated and whether the labelling which has complied with national and Union legislation. Product samples are taken and sent for examination to the laboratories of the General Chemistry of the State and the ELGO – DIMITRA, according to the type of examination to be carried out. Depending on the findings – although they arise – they are transmitted to the Directorate-General for Food, EPET and ELGO – DIMITRAs to proceed with the enforcement of sanctions. The offenders are informed and subsequently the appeal they are entitled to shall be heard; that is, if the decision is finalized, the fine shall be fined and the offender shall be notified. In addition to taking samples in the context of emergency checks, mixed scales again, on-the-spot balance checks are carried out on the milk industry. At retail points in Athens, Thessaloniki, Larissa, Patras, Volos, Ioannina, checks have been carried out at 85 retail points from where 177 samples have been sent for analysis, 103 of which have been sent for laboratory analysis at the General Chemistry of the State (GCHK) and 74 at the laboratories of ELGO DIMITRA. For label marking 267 samples have been collected and sent to EPET (32 for FET, 113, other cheeses, 51 milk, 64 yoghurt, 3 Ariane, 3 Kefir and 1 cream) and 36 to ELGO – DIMITRA (9 FETA, 20 for yellow cheeses, 3 for milk, 1 for yogurt dessert, 1 for yoghurt and 2 for kefir) At the entrance gates have taken place: In the port of Igoumenitsa there have been 75 checks, all in containers carrying milk products. 63 controls have been carried out at the port of Patras (21 in milk products tanks and 42 in cheese loads). Four checks have been made in the Promachonas, all involving milk products. It is noted that special emphasis is placed on the control of PDO products, such as FETA, identified with Greek production. Five checks have been carried out in the milk industry for on-the-spot balance control (Alexandroupolis, Kilkis, Tripoli, Halkidiki). Controls in fruit and vegetables Similar checks have also been carried out on fresh fruit and vegetables. Specifically: 297 controls (Attiki, Thessaloniki, Larissa, Volos, Ioannina, Patras). In biologicals: 33 controls (Attiki 24, Larissa 2, Volos 5, Thessaloniki and Voula in Popular Biological Products). Laboratory tests for residues of plant protection substances 28 (Attica 24, Thessaloniki 4). In standardisation and packaging facilities 21 controls. 194 in Patras, Igoumenitsa, Promachonas and tolls. In fruit and vegetables, in particular, checks are on apples and potatoes, while checks on oranges and mandarins have begun and continued on kiwi. Controls in olive oil and honey From 15.03.2024 mixed scales carry out checks on olive oil and honey. A total of 22 olive oil samples and 16 honey samples have been taken. In particular, 14 samples of olive oil were taken by the EPET to check the quality, authenticity and labelling specifications sent for chemical and organoleptic testing in the laboratories of the GCC, the EPET, the ELGO DIMITRA and DIMEA, 3 samples for verification of authenticity and adulteration, which were sent for chemical testing in the laboratories of the EPET and 5 samples of olive oil by ELGO DIMITRA sent for laboratory analysis in its laboratories. In honey 16 samples were taken from the EPET for quality, authenticity and adulteration, which were sent for analysis to the GCC. It is noted that all of the above concerns the exceptional checks which are complementary to the regular checks included in the annual programming of the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, the ELGO – DIMITRA and the ET.
Checks on olive oil and honey began – Follow in meat and eggs
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