Moldovan national food safety agency to sanction introduction of syrup inverted with honey fragrance, erroneously called Artificial Honey

Chisinau, 23 July /MOLDPRES/ - The National Food Safety Agency (ANSA) has warned about the normative requirements as to the introduction on the marked of the Syrup inverted with honey fragrance, erroneously called ARTIFICIAL HONEY. During official controls, as well as following more petitions, received from private people and legal entities, decision-makers find out that this product continued to be placed on market.   

To protect the rights and interests of the consumers, as well as to remove the unfair competition of the producers of natural honey, ANSA warns that, in accordance with the Article 3 of the Law on apiculture, the HONEY is a natural product of honey-producing bees, the name of which cannot be used in the naming of any other products got by artificial means.    

At the same time, under the Article 6 on informing the consumer about food products, the information on food products should not mislead as regards the features of the food products and namely: as to the nature, identity, properties, composition, etc.; to suggest, through presentation, in descriptions or pictures, the presence of a certain food product or of a certain ingredient, while in reality, a component present naturally or an ingredient usually used in the concerned food product was replaced by another component or by other ingredient.   

In the context, the quoted source stresses that the responsibility for the informing of the consumers belongs exclusively to the operator from the food sector.   

ANSA inspectors warn that, at official controls, they will pay increased attention to the observance of the Law on informing consumers about the food products and the operators from the food sector, who do not comply with the food legislation in force, run the risk of being fined with up to 25,000 lei (1,250 euros).