Bulgaria Intensifies Dairy Import Inspections Amid Quality Concerns

The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) announced that it will begin stringent inspections of milk and dairy products entering Bulgaria from Wednesday. This directive applies to imports from both the European Union and third countries, covering items such as raw milk, dairy concentrate, milk powder, whey powder, and butter.

According to the BFSA, the new protocol involves comprehensive laboratory analyses for each shipment of raw milk, which will be tested for total microbial count, an indicator of cleanliness, and total somatic cell count, an indicator of animal health. Tests will also check for the presence of inhibitors and aflatoxin M1.

For dairy concentrate imports, inspections will include laboratory tests for total microbial count and aflatoxin M1. Milk powder and whey powder shipments will undergo analyses for salmonella, staphylococcal enterotoxin, and aflatoxin M1. In addition, each butter shipment will be examined for salmonella and listeria monocytogenes. Imported goods will remain at entry points until test results are confirmed.

The BFSA emphasized that these measures are being implemented to ensure the safety and quality of raw materials used in dairy production. The agency's decision followed an analysis of intensified checks conducted in May, which revealed that 24% of the samples did not comply with required standards.

This non-compliance necessitated further measures for already manufactured dairy products, resulting in administrative and economic challenges for industry operators. The BFSA's new initiative aims to prevent substandard raw materials from entering Bulgaria.