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.

On Tuesday, 9 December, the Czech Confederation of Commerce and Tourism arranged a meeting attended by representatives of retail chains and supervisory bodies. The meeting was also attended by the management of the Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority which checks food safety and quality in retail chains. On this occasion, Director General Jakub Šebesta informed the attenders of a new initiative of CAFIA which aim is to ensure better awareness of consumers. The Inspection Authority decided to release periodically a chart of retail chains. This chart will be drafted according to results of CAFIA inspections.

The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority revealed wine of Hungarian origin at which laboratory analyses showed addition of water, at least of 52%. The wine in question was found in Kaufland. Namely, it was Rizling vlašský minöségi cuvée bor (dry white wine, batch L080610).

The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority has started inspections of half-fermented wine in August of this year. Inspectors checked appropriate labelling of half-fermented wine, hygiene conditions at the place of sale as well as documentation related to the sale of half-fermented wine. This way, the inspectors carried out several hundreds of inspections in whole the Czech Republic.

Within its responsibilities, the Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority is consistently focused on inspections of honey. In addition to compliance with quality requirements, the Authority also verifies whether honey is adulterated or not. In recent days the Food Inspection Authority revealed eight cases of adulterated honey.

The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority banned last week production of delicatessen products in premises of Jiří Dušek in Vrdy near Čáslav due to detection of Listeria monocytogenes.