Dr Beáta Felkai: The main goal is providing Hungarians with safe and good quality food

Last year Nébih performed over 35,000 planned inspections and withdrew more than 380 tonnes of products from the market. As part of its 2,610 seasonal on-site control visits, Nébih imposed HUF 16.4m fines and pulled 11.6 tonnes of food from the market – 579 items from the more than 12,000 which were examined. Nébih is also fighting unfair trade practices: last year there were more than 100 such control visits, and colleagues’ experience was that in the current difficult period caused by the Russia-Ukraine war, cooperation between manufacturers and retailers is better than at other times.

When asked about the topic of alternative products, Dr Beáta Felkai explained that the term can refer to two things: in the case of certain products there is a quality difference (sour cream vs. fresh cream), while in other cases we are talking about completely different products (milk vs. plant-based milk). Nébih opines that each product has its role and place in consumers’ lives and on store shelves, but it is very important for shoppers to know what it is that they are putting in their shopping baskets. The main goal is providing Hungarians with safe and good quality food, preferably with products made in Hungary. Regulations are adapted to the market needs whenever possible, and the authorities are communicating with industrial actors regularly. //