The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority banned sale of the food supplement ErMax Plus intended for enhancing potency (expiry date: November 2011) because it contained tadalafil, a substance which is forbidden for use in foodstuffs.

The project of the Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority and its Slovak counterpart the State Veterinary and Food Administration was launched today by the initial conference held in Trenčianské Teplice. The aim of the project is to enhance cooperation and establish personal contacts between inspectors in cross-border regions of the Slovak and Czech Republic in the filed of official food inspection. The project is funded mainly by the European Fund for Regional Development.

Czech Agricultural and Food Inspection Authority (CAFIA) did not release onto the market a consignment of peanuts in which an excessive amount of aflatoxins was revealed by laboratory analyses. The consignment in total weight of 20 tonnes contained 800 sacks of shelled unroasted peanuts of Chinese origin.

CAFIA launched a new version of its websites on www.szpi.gov.cz. At the first glance, they seem to differ only slightly from the previous version, nevertheless, they incorporate a significant modification for handicapped users.

In connection with the case of Irish meat contamined with dioxins, the Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority examined the origin of packaged jointed meat marketed in retail chains.

Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority in collaboration with the Customs Administration in Prague detained a dangerous consignment of peanuts at the border.

Even the increased number of interested subjects of public administration could not prevent the Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority from successful gaining two grants from remaining financial resources of the EU Transition Facility programme. This programme was established to help accessing countries in areas where the administrative and institutional capacity was not sufficient so far in comparison with existing member countries. Originally, the programme was intended for 3 years only, but the European Commission enabled its extension until 2008.

The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority has obtained the certificate of quality management system for “Performance of activities of administrative authority carrying out state supervision in the field of foodstuffs and selected products“ already in 2005.

By the end of November, the Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority concluded inspections of sale of half-fermented wine. Now the Inspection Authority has available further results of laboratory analyses of half-fermented wine which was sampled this year. The aim of these analyses was to reveal adulteration, thus adding water to half-fermented wine which is prohibited by the law.

The National Contact point for the Rapid Alert system for Food and Feed in the CR, which runs within the Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority, obtained first information on the case of Irish pork meat contaminated by dioxins on Friday afternoon. Further notifications followed during weekend. CAFIA distributed information to all RASFF members in the CR, e.g. to Public Health Protection Authorities, the State Veterinary Administration, the Ministry of Agriculture, the General Directorate of the Customs etc.