Belgrade Illegal Market Traders Face Crackdown

The inspections were launched after the city authorities found unlicensed traders at the open-air market in Zemun selling sausages made from meat that had been stolen from a pit where dead animals were buried in the Vojvodina region of Becej.

“The city of Belgrade conducted emergency inspections of meat at all markets and, with the exception of two samples, we established that the meat was healthy for use,” a member of Belgrade’s provisional council, Goran Vesic, told reporters on February 15.

Community police and city inspectors have already visited Belgrade’s Kalenic, Bajloni and Vidikovac open-air markets this month and issued 19 penalties to illicit traders as well as seizing a ton of cabbage, 10 kilogrammes of meat and 20 kilogrammes of cheese.

In the upcoming weeks, inspections will also be conducted in other Belgrade markets.

Sasa Rokvic, deputy director of the public company Belgrade Green Markets, announced that from now on, it will analyse the food on sale at the markets four times a year.

“The company rents stalls and has not been involved in regulating the food, as this is the job of the state veterinary, sanitary and phytosanitary inspectorates. However, in order to ensure that the food that is being sold at the markets is safe, we will start ordering analyses,” Rokvic said.

Vesic insisted meanwhile that the food sold by regular vendors who rent stalls at Belgrade markets is mainly safe, but problems exist with illicit traders who hawk their wares next to the markets.

“There is a permanent problem with illicit sellers whose goods are not being regulated and represent a danger to the health of our citizens,” Vesic said.

“We urge citizens to buy goods only from the sellers who work...