Inadequate food, depending on the type, nature and the degree of risk, can have different short-term or long-term effects on the health of consumers and each case must be researched individually. The Agency for Food Safety of BiH, which is a reference institution in our country, confirmed that laboratory analyses show that we are consuming healthy food.
“Considering microbiological contamination, i.e. food contamination, raw materials, half-products and finished products can be affected by it, which means that certain measures have to be undertaken during the process of production, with which the contamination is minimized or completely eliminated. Food testing on microbiological parameters, with special regulations, is conducted in BiH, and all the staff in food production is obliged to undertake regular health examinations,” said Dzemil Hajric, the Director of the Agency for Food Safety of BiH.
Specialized laboratories within the veterinary and agricultural institutes, public health institutes, faculties and private laboratories are conducting food control in our country.
Hajric also noted that food business subjects are obliged to ensure that food is complied with the food regulations in accordance with their activity and they are obliged to monitor compliance with the regulations in all phases of production, distribution and processing, in accordance with the provisions of Article 25 of the Food Act.
“Based on the data on laboratory food analyses, which were submitted by the Laboratory for Food Control of BiH, and which referred to the period from January 1 to September 30, 2017, a total of 29,287 food samples were sampled, and a total of 1.409 samples or 4.81 % were considered as inadequate, which corresponds to the multi-annual average and it does not indicate any type of deviation from other regional countries,” stated Hajric.
The Agency for Food Safety of BiH is conducting a survey on food habits of BH citizens for the very first time. It was started last year and the first results are expected in 2022. The main goal of the project is a database that will serve as the primary source of information for the needs of assessment of exposure to different chemicals and nutrients in the food and the risk they pose to the health of the population, and it can also serve as evidence on whether the food is safe for consumption. Data on food habits and food consumption are important for the assessment of exposure to nutritional risks.
(Source: A. B./Klix.ba)
