On the eve of Ligo, specialists from the Food and Veterinary Service reminded about the rules for safe shopping and discussed the violations most often found in stores and cafes. One of the questions that concerns customers turned out to be unexpected: does anyone check the meat in meat pies?
The quality of products in Latvian stores is currently assessed as good, believes Svetlana Alminovich-Milyanovich, a senior expert in the food circulation supervision department of the PVS, who spoke about this in the TV24 program "On the Line," writes nra.lv.
"Food safety is ensured not only by state control but also by the enterprises themselves, which are interested in gaining customers' trust," the expert noted.
In anticipation of the Ligo holiday, the PVS recommends not to stock up on products unnecessarily and to plan purchases in advance. Special attention should be paid to perishable products — meat, dairy products, cream cakes, and other items that require refrigeration.
The expert reminds that in summer, products should ideally be taken home as quickly as possible after purchase. Insulated bags with cooling elements can be used for transportation. It is particularly risky to leave products in a heated car for several hours.
Last year, the PVS received about 1,600 complaints from residents. Most often, people reported poor-quality products, violations of sanitary standards, the sale of goods past their expiration date, as well as cases of feeling unwell after eating.
However, proving a link between a specific product and food poisoning is not always straightforward. Medical documentation and additional investigations are necessary for this. If serious suspicions arise, inspectors may take samples of products for laboratory analysis.
During the broadcast, the expert also answered viewers' questions. One of them concerned popular meat pies and chebureks. According to Alminovich-Milyanovich, enterprises producing such products are regularly inspected.
"We check the origin of raw materials, the conditions for storing meat, compliance with the technological process, and temperature control. The oversight also applies to finished product manufacturers, not just meat processing plants," she explained.
Inspectors study the origin of raw materials, the conditions for storing meat, recipes, the production process, and compliance with temperature regimes. In other words, control extends not only to meat processing plants and large enterprises but also to producers of finished products.
Special attention is given to home producers. The PVS emphasizes that anyone selling homemade products is required to register their activities with the service, regardless of the volume of production.
Another topic that piqued viewers' interest was the presence of dogs in stores. The expert explained that the final decision in such cases is made by the owner of the retail outlet. The store may allow visits with animals, prohibit them, or establish its own rules.
The PVS also commented on the situation regarding the closed meat pavilion at the Central Market. According to the service, meat products there are stored exclusively in refrigerated equipment, and inspectors continue to monitor compliance with requirements after part of the vendors moved to other pavilions.
Experts also reminded of the important distinction between expiration date labels. The label "use by" means that after the specified date, the product may become unsafe for health and its sale is prohibited.
The label "best before" applies to long shelf-life products — for example, pasta, canned goods, coffee, or tea. With proper storage, they often remain fit for consumption even after the specified date.
"In summer, the risks increase, so it is important to adhere to food storage conditions and closely monitor expiration dates," emphasized the PVS representative.
In summer, the risk of food poisoning increases, so specialists advise paying special attention to food storage conditions and not ignoring expiration dates.
