Transnational companies offer products of varying quality on the European market
As reported by the portal Vinegret.cz, the study was commissioned by the government of the Czech Republic. Within its framework, 21 products from the same manufacturers were examined. They were purchased in stores in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Germany, and Hungary. The expert analysis showed significant differences in composition in 13 products, another 5 differed less substantially, and only three products were identical in all countries. In addition, five products differed in package size – in Austria and Germany they weighed more than in Eastern European countries.
Significant differences in composition and sensory properties were found, for example, in Nutella hazelnut spread or Iglo brand fish sticks. The German and Austrian versions of this semi-finished product contained more fish meat than the product manufactured at the same plant for the Czech Republic.
“We are seeing double standards in the quality of identical food and household goods. Our goal is for the European Union to legally ban such practices in the future. All EU citizens should have the right to the same quality of products,” said Czech Minister of Agriculture Marian Jurečka. He intends to raise this issue and present the study results at the next meeting of the Council of Ministers of Agriculture of EU member states.
The problem of varying product quality in the common European market began to be actively discussed at the beginning of this year. The initiative came from Slovakia, which was supported by Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico called the current situation humiliating for residents of Eastern Europe and demanded that the European Commission take action. The Commission promised to look into it, but so far no action has been taken beyond words.
The transnational companies themselves respond to criticism simply – it is not about wanting to save money on “Eastern Europeans,” but about different taste preferences of individual nations. At the same time, formally, manufacturers are not violating any laws, since they honestly list the ingredients on the packaging.