In Albania, a series of alarming scandals involving contaminated food products has led the government to reconsider the role of the National Food Authority (AKU). Despite numerous instances of tainted food entering the Albanian market, it wasn’t until these scandals reached a tipping point that the government began considering the dissolution of the institution tasked with food safety and inspection.
In September of last year, amendments were made to the draft law "On Inspections in the Republic of Albania," specifically in Article 60, which outlines the future structure of food and veterinary oversight in the country. According to the new legal framework, the National Food Authority and the National Veterinary and Plant Protection Authority are set to be replaced by a new institution responsible for "official food inspections and control," as well as a separate entity for veterinary and plant protection inspections.
The law is expected to be implemented by the end of 2025, though legal acts to enforce the changes have yet to be issued. Meanwhile, inspections carried out by the National Food Authority in March revealed that several tons of chicken meat contaminated with salmonella had entered Albania. But this was just one of many incidents.
Earlier, a shipment of mandarin oranges from Albania to Croatia was found to be contaminated with pesticides. In the midst of the contaminated food scandal, authorities have also uncovered that a large quantity of salmonella-infected chicken meat from Brazil had made its way onto Albanian markets. The police in Tirana have since issued a search warrant for the owner of the company that imported the meat and have pressed charges against the company responsible for distributing it throughout the country.
Furthermore, three inspectors from the National Food Authority are currently under investigation by the police. According to law enforcement, these officials allowed the contaminated meat to be sold in the Albanian market, further deepening concerns over the country’s food safety and regulatory systems.
The growing number of food safety scandals and the government's plans for restructuring are raising significant questions about the effectiveness of the National Food Authority. As the investigation continues, the public is left grappling with the implications of these scandals for their health and the overall reliability of food safety oversight in Albania.