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| Slovaks want better food too |
| Bratislava, 08.06.2016 |
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| Central and Eastern European consumers eat poorer quality branded products than people who live in western countries.
“I had enough of poor quality food in Slovakia. Could you advise me where to go for shopping to Austria?”, came one recent question in an online debate forum, but it is not a new issue.
Over the past few years many Bratislavans and others living in the near the border with Austria have gotten used to doing their grocery shopping in Austria. They claim that the food they get in the supermarket in Kittsee or Hainburg is much better than what they get in Slovakia – even if the products carry the same brand.
The Slovak government has recently acknowledged the complaint too when it joined the initiative of all the Visegrad Group (V4) countries to raise the issue in Brussels.
Czech Agriculture Minister Marian Jurečka reported the problem to the EU Council of Ministers, Agriculture Minister Gabriela Matečná told the Sme daily on May 25.
“We have followed him as we have the same experience,” she said.
What is at stake is dual quality of products which are imported under the same brand name. The list includes sweetened beverages, coffee, chocolate products, cosmetics and detergents.
Jarmila Halgašová, the director of the Food Chamber of Slovakia (PKS), said that Austrian food is generally not better than that in Slovakia.
“The quality requirements in Slovakia are more stringent than in other countries, however, restrictive legislation does not affect imported goods,” said Halgašová, as quoted by the Sme daily.
EU competency
Dual quality is an issue that the EU needs to deal with since the mutual recognition clause applies within the common market, said Jana Gasperová of the Agriculture Ministry.
“Individual member countries do not have a legal framework to monitor quality of food produced in other member countries,” Gasperová told The Slovak Spectator.
The Czech Ministry of Agriculture plans to open the discussion also on the Forum for a Better Functioning Food Supply Chain which will take place this September.
“Expert discussion should lead to legislative amendment that will make the practice of dual quality impossible,” said Czech Czech Ministry of Agriculture spokeswoman Markéta Ježková, as quoted by Sme.
Unofficial tests show differences
While EU authorities have called on the V4 countries to prove their claim about dual quality with official laboratory tests, they so far based complaints on the unofficial analyses of consumer associations and inspection authorities, Gasperová noted.
Miroslav Tulák of the Association of Slovak Consumers (ZSS) sees a long-term problem recalling tests by Miloš Lauko of another association, the Association of Consumers in Slovak Republic (ASS), who first drew attention to varying quality of selected beverages, chocolate, coffee and spices in 2011.
“Lauko found significant differences, for example, in the sweeteners used,” Tulák told The Slovak Spectator.
Research of the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague also revealed a different fat content in yoghurts or the caffeine in coffee, as reported by Sme.
However, Halgašová said that complaints are unjustified until they are not confirmed by the evidence of accredited laboratories.
“Producers may legitimately complain for damaging their reputation,” Halgašová told The Slovak Spectator.
More sugar, less ham
The Sme daily did own analysis of selected food and beverages bought in Slovakia and Hainburg in neighbouring Austria. The Coca-Cola beverage from Slovakia has, compared with a beverage bought in Austria, higher sugar content of about 12 grams per litre as it contains sweeter fructose-glucose syrup instead of sugar.
The use of fructose-glucose syrup in Slovakia is historically linked with the establishment of the plant for processing maize under the former regime, and subsequently with the sugar reform, according to Halgašová.
“This process is less financially demanding and thus more economical,” Halgašová told Sme.
There is also difference in pizza Ristorante prosciutto of German producer Dr. Oetker. Slovak variant weights about 10 grams less, contains about 5 percent of less ham , does not offer information about the quantity of tomato puree and other ingredients and contains canola oil as opposed to extra virgin olive oil used in Austrian pizza.
Both products cost less in Slovakia, Coca-Cola by about 40 cents and pizza Ristorante by about €2, Sme wrote.
Slovaks to buy more abroad
Pavol Bulla, a current member of the City Council in Bratislava, wrote in 2014 on his blog that transnational corporations are modifying the structure of foodstuffs, cosmetics and detergents according to the country where the product goes.
“I have to admit that this trick literally offends me and makes me an inferior EU citizen,” Bulla wrote.
Information about differences in quality began to spread the media including blogs and internet discussions immediately after the first analyses appeared, and retail tourism has become a frequent activity of many Slovaks.
Efforts on several fronts
This issue has been raised in recent years on the floor of the European Parliament, as a group of MPs has enforced declarations to get at least half of signatures in which call for market research, collecting and publishing data and searching for solutions which will end the discrimination against consumers.
Though the first declaration in 2015 was not successful, another declaration from May 2016 with 59 signatures from MPs from 12 countries looks more promising, said Slovak MP Miroslav Mikolášik.
“Unfortunately, most of the members who signed the declaration come from affected countries,” Mikolášik said, as quoted by public-service broadcaster Radio and Television Slovakia (RTVS).
Halgašová sees a regular discussion between EU members states on the differences in the quality of food since the crisis in early 2009.
“Then, the fundamental right to free movement of goods became uncomfortable,” Halgašová said.
Mikolášik said, that EU countries have developed differently, and while there are real efforts to build the internal market, there are also imperfections which result in this difference in quality.
Companies chase profits
Some of the products under the same brand name are different because of consumer’s various expectations of taste, Halgašová noted. While Austrians are accustomed to more robust and sour taste of coffee, Hungarians prefer candies and chocolate with specific flavours.
“For example, Slovak consumers have very specified requirements for tartar sauce,” Halgašová said.
In contrast, Tulák said that regional differences, different culture and other marketing reasons are the least responsible for the problem.
“Companies do everything that consumers are willing to accept,” Tulák said.
Soňa Chovanová Supeková, an expert on agriculture, food quality and marketing of Pan-European University, confirms the main purpose of food companies – profits – is the same in all fields of business.
“It is very interesting that changes in structure of food products sold in our markets have never increased the share of more expensive foods,” Chovanová Supeková told The Slovak Spectator.
How to intervene
Chovanová Supeková said that there is no rational reason to change recipes of the same products sold under the one brand name.
“Differences should be penalised in a way that would discourage similar practices,” Chovanová Supeková said.
Tulák said that authorities responsible for market control have to enforce the same description and content of products.
The Agriculture Ministry, however, does not have any options to protect the market from imports of dual quality foodstuffs, said Gasperová.
“The consumer must decide on further fate of such food,” she said.
Peter Adamovsky
odkaz na stránku |
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Address : Euro-Brew Ltd., Hlboká 22, 917 01 Trnava, Slovakia
Tel. : +421 33 53 418 53, Fax : +421 33 53 418 52, E-mail : info@eurobrew.sk |
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