Romania Joins Campaign Against 'Double Standards' in Food

Romania on Thursday joined several Eastern European countries in urging the European Union to address the "double standards" loophole used by global food chains to sell lower-quality products in Eastern Europe.

"We need to know which companies treat us like second-hand citizens," Romanian Prime Minister Mihai Tudose told the cabinet meeting on Thursday.

None of the companies concerned are currently legally liable for this practice, as such double standards are legal in the EU as long as the ingredients are safe and are listed on the labels.

But several Eastern European states, including Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania, accuse global food chains of using this loophole to sell inferior products in their countries.

They want the European Commission to come up EU-wide solution that changes the bloc's consumer protection and food safety laws.

Big food companies have admitted that it is common to use different ingredients for same-name products in different countries - but insist their products vary to suit local tastes rather than to cut costs.

Romania's Agriculture Minister Petre Daea revealed a study on Wednesday, which showed that out of 29 food products sold in The Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium "nine were different in Romania from the West".

The study conducted by a government health agency showed different calorie contents in some types of canned fish, liver pate and pork products.

Experts stress that none of the nine products were unfit for consumption, but say they highlight a lack of correlation between labels in Western and Eastern Europe.

"We will ask [the European Commission] to speed up regulatory proceedings and create instruments that can assess such double standards at...