Before the Flower Festival, the consumption of fish and fish preparations increases considerably. For this reason, the National Authority for Consumer Protection (ANPC) offered advice to Romanians to avoid unpleasant situations.
ANPC, tips around the Holidays
The National Authority for Consumer Protection has informed Romanians about the upcoming holiday shopping. According to ANPC, consumers must pay special attention to the external appearance of fish products.
Moreover, consumers must refuse to buy products in relation to which they have doubts regarding the degree of freshness, the quality and the way of information through labeling:
“Around the Flower Festival, in which, according to tradition, the consumption of fish and fish preparations increases considerably, the National Authority for Consumer Protection (ANPC) draws attention to the potential dangers that can be encountered when purchasing these particularly perishable products and recommends consumers to take into account some tips:
- to pay special attention to the external appearance of the product,
- not to purchase products with a sticky, dehydrated surface, with mold stains,
- to refuse to buy fish and fish products for which they have doubts regarding the degree of freshness,
- follow the way of labeling fish and fish products,
- not to buy unlabelled prepackaged products,” states an ANPC press release.
Consumers must request and keep the receipt
Consumers must take into account the fact that frozen food products must only be sold in a frozen state.
When thawed, the products must present the unmodified taste and smell, characteristic of the respective assortments.
“ANPC also recommends buyers not to purchase products where they find the existence of product agglomerations in the form of blocks or the presence of ice in the packaging and to pay special attention when buying frozen food products, to the way the packaging is presented.
Likewise, they must not purchase products where they find that the packaging is dirty, degraded, not tightly closed and does not ensure the product’s sanitation. “It is extremely important that all consumers take into account these recommendations, in order to avoid unpleasant situations that could endanger their health or even their lives”, said Sebastian Hotca, interim president of ANPC, in the press release.
Make sure the products you purchase have a label
For fish products that are prepared – fillets, rounds, fish trunks, etc., attention must be directed to their color, firmness and smell:
“A frequently encountered deviation is non-compliance with the conditions of storage and exposure for sale, respectively:
- fish exposed in improper conditions directly on the pavement,
- fish that presented organoleptic changes – detached scales, consistent flaccid muscle,
- fish and fish products stored outside the refrigerated space, at ambient temperature, in an unorganized and unauthorized warehouse,
- salted fish (sprat and bream) stored in a refrigerated unit, but which does not ensure the storage temperature set by the manufacturer”, underlines the Consumer Protection.
