State Market Inspectorate short on inspectors; some laboratory tests depend on project funding
Of 14 allocated inspection posts, only five were filled at the end of 2024; forty products were withdrawn after lab analyses in 2022–2025.
The State Audit Office found a shortage of inspection staff in agencies that monitor product safety and flagged a reliance on external project support for part of laboratory testing.
According to the audit, the Division for Product Safety Inspection at the State Market Inspectorate had only five filled positions out of 14 budgeted posts at the end of 2024. The shortfall, auditors say, constrains routine controls and reduces the authority's capacity to react quickly to risks.
Between 2022 and 2025, forty products were withdrawn from sale following laboratory analyses, the report notes. It also states that some of those laboratory tests were financed through international project support rather than by regular domestic budget lines.
That combination — too few inspectors and partial dependence on project funding for lab work — raises a basic question for consumers: "How safe is the food we buy?"
Inspectors and experts warn that when sampling and testing depend on project cycles and when inspectorates operate understaffed, controls cannot always be carried out as often or as promptly as needed. This can delay detection of unsafe products and weaken preventive oversight.
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Photo: press material from the event
