Bulgarian Food Agency shuts down T Market facilities in Plovdiv

The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) has suspended the operations of two commercial sites, four heated display cases, and one central kitchen belonging to the T Market chain. The central kitchen, located in Plovdiv, was found to have substandard hygiene levels.

Dr. Kremena Stoeva, head of the Food Control Department at BFSA, stated that while inspections were frequent, the current hygiene issues were significant. She rejected the company's explanation that they had planned to close the kitchen voluntarily, noting that any facility preparing food must maintain high hygiene standards regardless of future operational plans.

As of October 30, BFSA has inspected 380 facilities, issuing 85 prescriptions and 77 violation reports. Dr. Stoeva reported that there have been no citizen complaints regarding health issues linked to food purchased from the chain's heated display points.

In broader national inspections, BFSA has conducted over 114,000 checks since the start of the year, resulting in the closure of 380 facilities and the destruction of 1,605 tons of unfit food. Recent findings include an unregulated meat production site in Shumen and 130 tons of expired lentils found in a warehouse in Varna.