Food standards along the integration efforts to Europe

TIRANA, Sept. 12 – Jemin Gjana, Minister of Agriculture, said in a meeting with Albanian businessmen Tuesday that food security was one of the big goals the country should fulfill along its integration efforts into the European Union. The government has prepared the strategy to increase the checking of the food products that enter the country, for a fair market competition and for exporting our food products to the world. The minister also appealed tot he consumers to be attentive and declare any irregularity they find in the market. Gjana said the government was determined to destroy the former monopolies and also cases when public officials also owned companies working in the same sphere. “I have said and repeat that the fight for standards is a fight with the Mafia of food and it is a more difficult fight than that against fiscal evasion,” said Gjana. “Informality in standards hits the consumer, integration and competition.” He said that tens of European institutions were keeping a close eye on Albania. The minister said that this year they would publish a book of the best businesses in agriculture sphere. Authorities would also create the National Authority of Food with a 5 million euro funding from the EU. There will be no chance of fulfilling these standards if the sheep are cut in the street, if there is 30 percent water in the milk, if there are no labels in Albanian on every product, according to the minister. There are 21 Albanian companies who accomplish the EU standards and a series of others are in the process of getting the certification from European institutions.