In connection with the devastating floods, the Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority again reminds the rules how to handle foodstuffs in the struck areas.

In recent days Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority solved suggestion from a consumer who found small foreign particles in a sliced cheese packaging. The suggestion concerned Processed Sliced Cheese Amore Toast, processed product of Gouda cheese (packaging 85 g, best before date: 22 September 2010) which was produced in Italy. Inspectors immediately carried out an inspection of this cheese in the retail chain and they really found out that there were several millimeters big and sharp particles of unknown origin in other packagings of the same cheese lot.

The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority recently carried out an inspection pointed at the safety of tinned codfish liver. Samples were taken and a laboratory analysis for verification of the content of dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) was carried out.

From this day on a new provision of the European regulation on labelling of certain food colours, namely E 102 (Tartrazine), E 104 (Quinoline yellow), E 110 (Sunset yellow FCF), E 122 (Azorubine), E 124 (Ponceau 4R or also Cochineal Red A), E 129 (Allura Red AC) enters into force.

Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority banned sale of ice cream with coconut in cocoa icing Imperium kokos (packaging 125 ml, best before date 08. 06. 2011) because laboratories confirmed presence of peanuts in it, however, their content was not declared in food ingredients.

Member States of the EU were warned through the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed against food supplement Magic Power Coffee originated from the USA. The food supplement in question is sold in the form of instant coffee beverage enriched with further ingredients (vitamins, Chinese matrimony, and ginseng). According to the producer, the product is manufactured solely from natural raw materials and has strong aphrodisiac effects. However, the American Food and Drug Administration detected presence of hydroxythiohomosildenafil in the product in question and therefore warned American consumers against consumption of this supplement. General warning against this supplement was also sent through the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) to all EU Member States.

At the close of 2008, the Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority announced its intention to assess retail chains and subsequently release results of this assessment. For this purpose, a special statistical method was developed in cooperation with the University of Technology. This method considers different number of premises of single chains, different number and scope of inspections. Based on the results, it can be determined whether there are statistically significant differences among the subjects assessed. Representatives of all the chains assessed were acquainted with the rules, methodology and results in detail.

On Wednesday 9 June Martin Klanica, authorized to deputize the CAFIA Director General, and Jakub Frydrych, Director of the National Antidrug Central Office of Criminal Police and Investigation Service of the Police of the Czech Republic, signed together an agreement about mutual cooperation when solving cases of food supplements containing substances with anabolic or other hormonal effect.

The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority ceaselessly pays high attention to checks of food supplements, in particular their safety. The Authority warned against five dangerous supplements in the previous year and deals already with a third case this year. Laboratory analyses revealed presence of substance aildenafil in food supplement Man Power claiming enhancement of men’s potency. The product in question was imported from Estonia. According to the health assessment of the Ministry of Health, any foodstuff containing this substance is dangerous for human health.