Moldovans eat well only on holidays

The Moldovans eat the most valuable food products only on holidays, while they eat irregularly during the year. This is one of the consumers' problems highlighted by Varfolomei Calmâc, the deputy director of the Preventive Medicine Center, on Tuesday, March 10, at a conference dedicated to the World Consumers Rights Day. The event was organized by the Ministry of Economy and Trade. It was attended by officials responsible for the protection of consumers in central and local authorities and representatives of consumer protecting NGOs. Other major problems, remarked in a research presented by Varfolomei Calmâc, are related to the particularities of Moldova's soil, which does not contain enough iron and iodine. The economic crisis is also having its impact on the situation of the population's nutrition, as well as the popularity of fast food restaurants which sell many unhealthy food products. Deputy Minister of Economy Tudor Copaci has said the Ministry is conducting a campaign called “the week of informing consumers” this year too, from March 9 to 13, which implies promoting the consumers' rights, educating and informing them, meeting with consumers to inform and advise them and companies. “In several trade centers in Chisinau, info points will be set up to advise consumers about buying goods and services, and other about other obligations they have when purchasing,” reads a communique distributed at the conference. This year, with the support of a the World Bank's Competitiveness Enhancement Project, a Consumer Guide was published, containing laws and recommendations on consumer protection. Those 2,000 copies of the guide will be distributed free to consumers and companies. First observed on 15 March 1983, the World Consumer Rights Day is now an annual occasion for action, solidarity and celebration within the international consumer movement. It commemorates a historical declaration of four basic human rights made by US President John F. Kennedy in 1962 - the right to safety, to be informed, to choose and to be heard. Consumers International, the global consumers' organization, added four more rights the recent years – the right to satisfaction of basic needs, to redress, to education and to a healthy environment. The theme of this year's World Consumer Rights Day is the same theme proposed by Consumers International for 2008 – Junk Food Generation.