Bulgaria to Enjoy 'Real' Bread in Months

As soon as the state standard for bakery products is ready, Bulgarians will know which bread is "real". Photo by BGNES

The Bulgarian Chamber of Industrial Bread and Pastry Producers has submitted three projects for state standards of bakeries in the Agriculture Ministry.

The projects concern three types of bread - white, wheat, and “Dobrudzha” - and will be discussed with experts and bakery technologists in order for one consensus option to be prepared.

The BDS for yogurt has already been introduced. By the end of July the one for brined cheese will be ready too.

The meat producers have also stated they are working on a project for a state standard for meat and added that it will take them more time due to the bigger variety of meat products.

The reintroduction of the Bulgarian state standard (BDS) for foods began a few weeks ago, after it was abolished in 1998 with the argument that Bulgaria had to harmonize its regulations with those of the EU.

The new BDS will include the exact requirements for producing certain food products. Bulgaria's Minister for Foods, Miroslav Naydenov has explained that BDS will not be mandatory, but rather recommendable, but its sign on a label will guarantee the consumers that the used products are real.

The companies that want to follow the BDS will have to register at the Bulgarian Patent Office and pay BGN 300. However, it has not been announced how long would the registration take.