The National Food Agency has released information following inspections of fish production facilities.
According to the agency, out of approximately 200 fish production facilities checked nationwide, 9 businesses were found to have violated rules for providing food information to consumers. In addition, other types of critical nonconformities were identified.
The violations included breaches of sanitary-hygienic standards and the use of coloring agents of unclear origin, among others, according to the inspectors of the National Food Agency.
“Authorized officials of the Agency, as part of state control, inspected fish smoking facilities, fish and sturgeon processing plants, fish farms, and fish sales points across the country. To date, inspections have been conducted at about 200 facilities.
In Tbilisi, critical nonconformities were recorded in two fish smoking facilities, including improper washing, disinfection, disinsection, and deratization; a damaged ceiling in a fish smoking chamber; and violations of the rules for providing food information to consumers. As a result, the business operators were fined and their production processes were suspended until the critical nonconformities were corrected,” the National Food Agency stated.
According to the agency, it is mandatory to indicate food coloring and other additives on food labels, and the business operator must provide the corresponding certificate. If all the above information is not listed on the label, the operator is prohibited from selling such food and must remove it from the market.
“Use of food coloring is permitted by law and regulated by the technical regulations on food additives; however, it is essential that the label clearly specifies its full name and origin,” the agency stated.
On November 18, Radio Liberty published an investigative report regarding fish production in Georgia. According to the report, colored trout is being sold as salmon, and sturgeon tinted with pigment is being marketed as salmon sturgeon.