National Food Agency Activates Bread Labeling Control

TBILISI – Georgia’s National Food Agency (NFA) held a meeting with representatives of bread companies on Sunday and announced that it is to start close bread labeling control.

The NFA stated that it was obligatory to have complete information about the ingredients and nutritional supplements of bread on the label.

“Public interest towards bread, the primary consumption product, is very high and it is important for customers to have full access to reliable information,” NFA head Zurab Chekurashvili stated at the meeting.

The Agency will continue permanent monitoring of products, including bread, and, in case of violations, producing companies will be fined.

In 2015-2016, in total 219 business operators were checked and 19 companies were fined for violation of labeling rules.

Chairman of the Association of Bread Producers, Malkhaz Dolidze, welcomed NFA’s decision to tighten bread regulations and said this step would protect consumers’ rights and is necessary for regulating the market.

The NFA reports that bread producing companies approved of the new regulations and expressed readiness to cooperate with the Agency in order to produce high standard bread products.

The Georgian government and Ministry of Agriculture decided to impose certain rules, regulations and standards regarding importing flour and bread products and producing bread in order to ensure safety of the product and its compliance with European standards. 

The new regulations were introduced at the beginning of 2016, which meant new requirements for labeling, wrapping and producing standards.

In case the bread producers fail to follow the new rules, they will face fines or will be forced to leave the market.

By Thea Morrison

Photo: National Food Agency tightens bread regulations. Source: bpn.ge