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What New EU Food Rules Mean for Serbia: No 'Bacon' Without Meat
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ธ Serbia /Economy & Trade

What New EU Food Rules Mean for Serbia: No 'Bacon' Without Meat

From N1 Serbia · (2d ago) Serbian

Translated from Serbian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • New EU regulations aim to strengthen farmer positions and increase supply chain transparency, impacting food labeling and production standards.
  • Products will be prohibited from using meat-related terms like "slanine" (bacon) or "odrezak" (steak) if they do not contain meat.
  • Serbian producers, largely compliant with EU standards, face challenges primarily in adapting packaging and investing in ecological practices, with potential price increases expected.

Stricter European Union regulations concerning food production and labeling are set to influence the Serbian market, even as domestic producers largely align with these new standards. Nenad Budimoviฤ‡ from the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia highlights that while most Serbian businesses exporting to the EU are already compliant, the new rules will necessitate adjustments and incur additional costs, particularly concerning packaging and environmental practices. The EU's aim is to bolster the position of farmers and ensure greater transparency throughout the food supply chain.

Stroลพi propisi Evropske unije o proizvodnji i oznaฤavanju hrane mogli bi da utiฤu i na cene u Srbiji.

Introducing the impact of new EU food regulations on Serbia.

One of the most significant changes involves the nomenclature of food products. Terms such as "slanine" (bacon) or "odrezak" (steak) will be exclusively reserved for products containing actual meat. This move is intended to protect both producers and consumers by preventing the mislabeling of plant-based alternatives. Budimoviฤ‡ views this as a logical progression in regulating the sensitive meat and dairy sectors, emphasizing that the regulations serve a dual purpose: safeguarding producers and consumers, with a particular focus on trade agreements between producers and large retail chains.

Iako su domaฤ‡i proizvoฤ‘aฤi u velikoj meri usklaฤ‘eni sa tim pravilima, novi troลกkovi su izvesni, kaลพe za RTS Nenad Budimoviฤ‡ iz Privredne komore Srbije.

โ€” Nenad Budimoviฤ‡Explaining that Serbian producers are largely compliant but will face new costs.

Beyond labeling, the new regulations place a growing emphasis on environmental protection, including changes in product packaging to reduce plastic use and transition towards biodegradable materials. These adaptations, while crucial, will require significant investment. Budimoviฤ‡ anticipates that price increases for food products are inevitable, not only due to these regulatory changes but also because of rising costs for energy, fertilizers, and transportation. A clearer picture of the market's response is expected after the wheat harvest, as all key inputs have seen price hikes that will inevitably affect the final cost of goods.

Inaฤe, nazivi poput "slaninaโ€œ ili "odrezakโ€œ neฤ‡e moฤ‡i da se koriste za proizvode koji ne sadrลพe meso.

Detailing a specific new EU regulation regarding food product names.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by N1 Serbia in Serbian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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