3. Inspection

3.5 Food Labelling and Quality Controls

Food Quality Control

In most cases laboratory analyses are essential for judging whether the quality limits determined or declared by a producer or a seller have been observed. This is how the so-called analytical parameters are controlled, which means whether the foods contain the prescribed or declared ingredients or substances, and whether their amount complies with a determined limit, or whether unapproved ingredients or substances have been added, if all declared weights and volumes are observed, if the food comply with other requirements, such as the appropriate dray matter, acidity, granulation, contents of admixtures, etc.

CAFIA detected in 2002, within the scope of the analytical parameters control, the total of 862 nonconforming samples: the highest number in wine (266 samples), potatoes (179 samples), liquors (81 samples), baked products (49 samples) and processed fruit and vegetables (33 samples).

The control of quality parameters utilises a sensory analysis in order to assess the sensory parameters, such as food consistency and structure, visual appearance, characteristic taste and smell, colour, etc. The sensory analysis is mainly applied because it is fast and cheap to detect whether the foods are free of chemical, microbiological or other kind of contamination.  It is quite often used as a method of the initial quality assessment prior to sampling and subsequent laboratory analyses. 

In 2002 CAFIA detected, within the scope of the quality control of sensory parameters, the total of 2,972 nonconforming samples: the highest number in fresh vegetables (966 samples), fresh fruit (440 samples), wine (391 samples), baked products (154 samples) and cold products (139 samples).