Bacteria and Mold Found in School Sandwiches in Bulgaria

The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency has detected bacterial contamination and mold in several sandwiches distributed in schools during a series of inspections. The announcement was made during a briefing by the agency’s executive director, Dr. Angel Mavrovski, who also outlined a set of new control measures aimed at improving food safety.

Mavrovski said that stricter monitoring is being introduced for chicken meat across the country because of suspicions of salmonellosis and the possible risk it poses to human health. Another new requirement concerns the labeling of frozen and defrosted food products. From now on, packaging must clearly display both the date when the product was frozen and the date when it was thawed. This will allow consumers to see exactly when the product was originally frozen and how many times it has undergone defrosting.

The agency has already carried out more than 400 inspections in schools, during which food samples were taken for laboratory testing. The complete results from these checks are expected to be published soon.

Mavrovski also pointed to serious problems linked to the illegal movement of animals across the border. According to him, a recently detained truck in Ruse revealed evidence of a long-standing trafficking channel. Inspectors discovered numerous Romanian markings on the animals, suggesting that this route may have contributed to the spread of diseases into Bulgaria. He stressed that such activities threaten both public health and the country’s livestock sector. Last year alone more than 20,000 animals had to be culled because of disease outbreaks. Animals intercepted at the Romanian border have been returned after undergoing testing for the diseases that authorities monitor.

Earlier reports indicated that meat from Romania had been illegally brought into Bulgaria, where it was later processed and prepared for distribution in the town of Ihtiman.

Further details about the food inspections were presented by the agency’s new deputy executive director, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Todorka Yankovska-Stefanova. She said that 130 sandwiches and snack products had been analyzed so far. Laboratory tests revealed bacterial growth in three of the samples and mold contamination in four.

Testing has also been conducted on dairy products. Out of 78 samples of milk and related items, irregularities were detected in three cheeses and one yellow cheese. In four products, including butter and different types of cheese, inspectors found the presence of non-dairy fats.

Additional checks covered locally produced meat products. Four samples were examined, and one of them was found to contain higher-than-permitted water content.

Bread products did not show any irregularities. Two samples were tested and both met the required standards.

Finally, 95 samples of fruits and vegetables were examined for pesticide residues. According to the agency, the laboratory results did not reveal any cases of excessive pesticide levels.