For over a year now, it has been mandatory to indicate the country of origin on price tags for food products in grocery stores; however, on certain products, it is still possible to see labeling stating that the country of production is unknown, public media report.
In this regard, consumers turn to the Food and Veterinary Service (FVS), but they explained that trade enterprises may not indicate the origin of the product on price tags if the product is produced in the European Union or if it is goods produced at several factories in different countries.
To make it easier for consumers to determine the origin of food products on store shelves, a regulation has been in effect since September 2024 stating that the country of origin must be indicated next to the price of the product. As explained by Monta Vaice, a senior expert in the food distribution supervision department at the FVS, the service encounters such situations; however, such indication complies with regulations if the trade enterprise cannot obtain accurate information about the product's origin.
"Such cases may arise, for example, if the product is ordered and produced at several enterprises located in different countries. For instance, this can happen with eggs because packing centers are located in both Latvia and Lithuania. The box may contain eggs from both Lithuanian and Latvian producers, and if the manufacturer or supplier cannot provide information about each batch of the product supplied (and they are also not obligated to do so), and retailers do not have the means to obtain this information, there may be cases where the specific producer is not indicated on the labeling," Vaice explained.
