The reforms done in recent years at the National Food Safety Agency (ANSA) aimed to reduce corruption and debureaucratize the institution. At the same time, the reforms culminated in the diversification of export markets. The Republic of Moldova obtained the right to export category A eggs and also processed meat in the European Union. It also obtained the right to export walnut and apple saplings, ANSA director Radu Musteața told a press conference, IPN reports.
Recently, the right to export plum saplings was obtained. The European Commission’s decision is expected to be published. The European Commission’s decision on the export of fresh poultry meat is also awaited and could come in the next two weeks.
Radu Musteața noted that ANSA’s management has changed. The people who did not pass the integrity test and who did not meet the objectives of the National Food Safety Agency were made redundant. The local subdivisions were reorganized and only ten remained, without legal personality. The management positions at local subdivisions were reduced. Particular activities were centralized so that the heads of subdivisions focus on official controls. These actions in ANSA’s activity paid off.
Radu Musteața also referred to the reform of veterinary certificate issuing. Veterinarians were excluded from agri-food markets. The vets were actually carrying out the so-called sanitary-veterinary examination of goods placed on the market in non-accredited laboratories. Such examinations are not conducted in any EU country. Doctors who took money from small traders for unclear purposes were excluded. ANSA continues to check these markets in accordance with the law on official controls.
Another reform concerns digitalisation. All permissive documents as authorizations are issued online, are accompanied by an electronic signature. Economic agents no longer have to stand in line to get them. Also, the e-ANSA information concept was created for the first time, which is yet to be developed. Cash was given up. ANSA no longer accepts cash, only transfers.
Radu Musteața also said that due to the implementation of effective official controls, in 2023 the amount of fines collected by ANSA increased by 2 million lei. There are cases of transparent withdrawal of food products from sale, return of food from the border. This means that ANSA does its job. Also, ANSA inspectors were equipped with notebooks, company cars, and their salaries were raised.
As a result of all reforms, ANSA implemented the control plan and over 93,000 official controls were carried out, over 16,000 product samples were taken and tested in 15 national and international laboratories. All the identified irregularities were investigated within internal inquiries. Non-compliant products were withdrawn from the market, returned to the countries from which they were imported or destroyed.
The ANSA director recommended the Moldovan consumers, in the context of Easter holidays, to buy food from authorized places, to carefully check food labels, to attentively read the ingredients, shelf life, to request from the trader the cash receipt in order to be able to return non-compliant goods. At the same time, the economic operators should implement the provisions on quality and safety of food products, to inform if there are nonconformities in the quality of food products.
