THE HEALTH Ministry has fined 59 companies over the first six months of 2006 at a total sum of £22,630 for selling food that did not conform to food safety regulations.
The fines, ranging from £20 to £2,000, are the result of inspections that the Health Ministry conducted between March 2003 and April 2006.
Among the companies fined are confectionaries, bakeries, grocers, snack bars, dairies, honey producers, soft drink producers, a hotel, a restaurant, and an olive press.
The reasons for the fines varied. The restaurant Gastrognomas was fined £780 on November 11, 2005 for neglecting to place a no smoking sign on the premises and for preparing food without an up-to-date health certificate.
A honey producer in the village of Agros was fined £120 for selling honey on June 6, 2005 that had a HMF (hydroxy-methyl-furfural) content higher than the permissible amount.
In one of the larger fines doled out, the Pancyprian Confectionary Company was fined £2,000 for selling on March 23, 2006 a Tachini pie that had a foreign substance and was unsuitable for human consumption.
The lowest fine – £20 – was given to a Nicosia grocer for selling fruits and vegetables on December 15, 2004 that were in “less than unhealthy” conditions.
Companies have also been fined for labelling issues. Madaco & Elomas Distributors Ltd. were fined £100 for selling food products that were not labelled in Greek.
Last March, chairman of the House Commerce Committee Lefteris Christoforou of DISY raised the need for stronger penalties against companies found guilty of violating food safety rules.
The committee noted that companies found guilty of storing out-of-date or unsuitable foods are on average fined a £300, a paltry sum that gives little if any incentive for companies to change their illegal but profitable practices.
The discussion came after a dairy scandal where two importers were found with large consignments of expired cheese in their fridges.
“There is a breach in the consumer’s trust towards the market, especially in the light of recent events,” Christoforou said in his opening address. “The consumer is not aware of the protection he is legally entitled to.”
