Speaking at the 9th international food safety conference in Opatija, Jakovina said that there had not been a single incident reported in Croatia in more than three years and that citizens can be assured that the system from field to table is safe.
He added that Croatia is now part of the European market and that it has to aspire to be even better and that Croatian consumers were an important link in the chain.
He cited the situation on the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) market as one of the problems, adding that Croatia was seeking the European Commission (EC) to protect its interests and to establish the same criteria for everyone in that market. He added that the government would define rules to regulate the system of food donations.
Croatia will remain GMO free. "if the EC makes exceptions, these have to be confirmed by each member state and we will remain steadfast with our stance that safe, healthy and quality products are exceptionally important and the health and interest of citizens are in first place," he underscored.
Paolo Caricato of the European Commission's Health and Consumers Directorate General said it was time to review provisions relating to meat inspections that will take into consideration the differences between EU member states.
Crisis situations are still occurring and people are dying from contaminated foods, from Escherichia coli bacteria for instance, Caricato said.