Nineteen million forint fine, 308 kilograms of destroyed melons are the results of the NKFH inspection

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 08. 26. 11:40

The National Trade and Consumer Protection Authority (NKFH) has launched a comprehensive inspection campaign in cooperation with county government offices, focusing on watermelons. The experts inspected 485 commercial units, checked 426 domestic and 132 imported lots, imposed fines of 19 million forints in 26 cases, and destroyed 308 kilograms of melons due to two untraceable lots, the authority announced on Tuesday.

The experts examined the quality, labeling and traceability of the products, from wholesalers to retail chains and roadside stands.

The report also mentioned that at the beginning of the season, imported watermelons, mainly from Greece and Italy, dominated the market, while as the summer progressed, the proportion of domestic products gradually increased.

The quality was generally satisfactory, but one Greek batch had to be withdrawn from circulation due to immaturity. In the central warehouse of one of the largest retail chains, experts found an overripe batch that had been prepared for sale and was starting to deteriorate, for which a fine of more than 16 million forints was imposed.

Based on the experience of the inspections, the most common deficiency was inadequate or missing marking, especially the country of origin and the quality class were not indicated on the labels. During the pesticide residue tests, both domestic and imported samples proved to be adequate, with the exception of a few results that are still pending.