Food safety inspections reveal hygiene violations in North Macedonia and Czech Republic

Food safety inspections in North Macedonia and the Czech Republic have revealed significant hygiene violations. In Skopje, the Food and Veterinary Agency, in coordination with municipal and market inspectors, seized approximately two tons of unsafe food at the Chento green market. The inspection found that food was being sold in unhygienic conditions and outside of designated areas, increasing risks to consumer health.

In the Czech Republic, the State Agricultural and Food Inspection (SZPI) reported that over half of the soft-serve ice cream samples tested during the summer season failed to meet hygienic limits. Out of 149 samples, 77 failed, with vanilla ice cream being the most problematic flavor. Inspectors identified excessive levels of Enterobacteriaceae bacteria, attributing the failures to poor production hygiene, inadequate equipment sanitation, and improper handling of leftover ice cream mixtures.