Two more foodstuffs from Serbia were returned from the border because they do not meet the health criteria. What is the most problematic for export and who controls food products
It is not a rare occurrence that exported food from Serbia they are returning from the border Of the European Union due to the presence of unsafe substances. Since the beginning of 2026, they have been returned from the border with Croatia pie crusts and a shipment of sauerkraut - peels due to the presence of mesophilic bacteria, and sauerkraut due to the increased nickel content.
Warnings about unsafe products are published on the portal European food alert system (RASFF), which serves for the exchange of information between EU member states on risks to consumer health.
During the year 2025, according to data from that portal, as many as 30 warnings were issued for products sent from Serbia to the European Union market. The most common reason for such warnings was the presence of aflatoxin B1 in food products.
For the quality and safety of food that is put on the market, including that intended for export, the producers, that is, the entities that do business, are most responsible food. They are obliged to ensure that the products meet all the requirements prescribed by law.
Control of food safety in Serbia is regulated by the valid Food Safety Law, and is carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Health, through competent inspections, as well as authorized and reference laboratories.
The law clearly stipulates that producers are responsible for the safety of food for humans and animals and must ensure compliance with all regulations made on the basis of that law. However, despite the existing rules, in practice it still happens that undesirable or prohibited substances are found in food.
Professor of the Faculty of Agriculture in Novi Sad, Igor Jajić, previously told Newsmax Balkans that producers, that is, those who put food on the market, are primarily responsible for the quality of food, because they are obliged to carry out their own controls in accordance with the law.
He stated that part of the responsibility lies with the inspections of the Veterinary Administration and the Plant Protection Administration, which are in charge of food quality control, but that their jurisdiction and the frequency of inspections should be greater.
The existing Law on Food Safety should soon be revised with a new one, which would for the first time introduce a system of faster notification and more efficient response in the event of the appearance of unsafe food on the market.
The main goal of this law is to protect consumer health and strengthen confidence in the food control system in Serbia, as well as further harmonization with European Union standards.
The adoption of this regulation represents an important step towards the fulfillment of Criterion 1 for the opening of Chapter 12 - Food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy, within the framework of Serbia's negotiations with the EU. This chapter is part of cluster five.
The working version of the law is available on the website of the Ministry of Agriculture, but the final text has not yet been adopted, and the existing law is still being applied.
Unlike the Law on Food Safety, the Law on Official Controls was adopted at the end of 2025. Its goal is, among other things, to establish a clear and unified system of official controls and other official activities in all stages of production, processing and distribution of animals and goods to which the law applies.
This law applies, among other things, in the field of food and food safety, and in every phase of the production and distribution chain. Its full implementation is expected during 2026, and it should enable stricter, more frequent and more effective controls, especially when it comes to products intended for export.
According to the data from the RASFF system and current practice, the products from Serbia that are most often returned or for which warnings are issued in the EU are cereals and cereal products, mostly due to the increased amount of aflatoxin, processed products of plant origin and frozen fruits and vegetables due to the presence of heavy metals and pesticide residues above the permitted limits, bakery and confectionery products due to microbiological defects, and food of animal origin due to microbiological parameters.
Nickel in cabbage and bacteria in cake crusts: New warnings for foodstuffs from Serbia
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