Spot checks find supermarkets not properly displaying origin of fresh food

The country of origin of pre-packaged fruit, vegetables and meat is too often not indicated by Belgian supermarkets, according to a survey conducted by the economic inspection service of the Belgian federal economy ministry.

Of the 469 companies inspected between March and December 2024, half were in breach of the regulations.

The survey specifically targeted fruit and vegetables sold loose or pre-packaged, as well as fresh, chilled or frozen meat from pigs, sheep, goats, cattle and poultry.

A total of 596 infringements were identified, an average of 2.5 infringements per company.

The economy ministry issued 111 warnings and drew up 150 reports accompanied by a proposal for an administrative settlement or an administrative penalty. Some companies received several warnings for violating different laws.

The majority of infringements concerned the indication of the origin of fruit and vegetables (42.45%, or 253 cases). In one third of cases, the origin was not indicated at all. When this information was provided, it was often illegible, ambiguous or poorly placed, especially for products sold in bulk.

For pre-packaged meat, the labels often did not comply with European legislation: of the 98 packages inspected, 20.9% had irregularities.

Among the most common problems were the absence of the country of slaughter or rearing, the use of misleading information - such as Belgian flags on imported meat - and the use of incomprehensible or ambiguous technical abbreviations on labels.