Eg. product name, manufacturer, dealer, ...

MENU Close

• Entrepreneurs
• Business information
• Certification
• CAFIA laboratories
• CAFIA opinions
• More information
• Consumers
• How to know the food market
• Results of CAFIA inspections
• Consumer rights
• List of risky sites
• Hoaxes
• Other visitors
• Press Releases
• Internships at CAFIA
• Public contracts

The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority carried out extensive inspections in manufacturers, distributors and sellers of sugar. CAFIA mainly focused on the observance of quality parameters and proper labelling of the above commodity.

The inspector took altogether 138 samples of sugar, mostly of domestic origin (4 samples represented imported sugar), of which labelling was assessed in 125 of them. In nine cases the sugar was not properly labelled, mostly data on the product net weight were missing. Out of 67 samples that were evaluated in accordance with the quality criteria, CAFIA identified non-conformances in 10 samples, of which the most frequently occurring was the incorrect classification into a respective category.

The inspectors ordered in most cases to "the offenders" to take corrective actions, or they imposed a penalty.

An ordinary consumer finds in shops granulated, caster or icing sugar, which should, however, be also identified with a classification group according to "whiteness", such as sugar extra white, white or semi-white. Incidentally, the sugar whiteness is recognised also by a mere dissolution of sugar in water. The decree distinguishes also a very popular moulded sugar - cubes, bridge, and even sugar loafs, icing sugar containing anti-lumpy agents, sugar with admixtures: the so-called rock candys, which are large brownish or yellowish granules of beet sugar and liquid sugar products. The decree also deals with brown sugar. As the demand is very low, consumers can come across this type of sugar rather sporadically, even though it is very popular in the adjacent countries.

White sugar is a result of refining when the brown sugar is cleaned in a rather difficult process of leaching. During the refining process various minerals and admixtures, causing its colouration, are removed from sugar. No chemical substances are used in this technological process and the appropriate decree does not even allow the process of blueing.

In practice, all sugar at the Czech market is produced from sugar beet, as the sugar cane has no more been imported to the Czech Republic for several years.