When we see blank fields on the label of packaged ground meat where information about the country of origin and slaughter of animals should be, and when the same product has the same packaging and expiration date, something ‘smells’ fishy.
When purchasing ground meat in one of Billa’s stores, we wanted to find out what information the retailer is required to provide on the fresh meat label.
In response to our inquiry about why their label is incomplete, Billa informed us that the Regulation on Consumer Information on Food aligned with the EU Regulation has come into effect, but is being applied selectively due to the adjustment process.
– For the product ground mixed meat, it is currently not necessary to specifically state the country of breeding and the country of slaughter if they are the same and if it is stated along with the name and address of the entity that placed the product on the market. This does not mean that the missing information will not be aligned with future regulations from the date of their application – they say at Billa. They add that the expiration date of fresh meat is not legally prescribed.
– Each entity can, according to its policy and assessments, state the expiration date of the product. Our butchers produce ground meat fresh daily according to sales needs, without additives and preservatives, not creating additional stocks of finished products – they explain at Billa. Fresh meat that we buy at the market also has no preservatives, so its shelf life is longer than one day.
However, in response to the same inquiry sent to the State Inspectorate, we received a somewhat different answer. The Inspectorate states that entities in the food business are required to label beef meat, in production and all phases of placing it on the market, in such a way that it is possible to ensure a link between the meat and the animal at every part of the system. Each label must include the number of the approved slaughterhouse and the name of the country where the slaughterhouse is located, the country of birth of the animal, and the country of fattening, as well as information about the age at slaughter. This implies that Billa does not label fresh meat according to applicable regulations.
