The fresh fruit and vegetables will be subject to compliance checks by the National Food Safety Agency, at all the stages of the commercial process, until they reach end-users. A draft law to this effect was given by Parliament a first reading, IPN reports.

The fruit and vegetables that will be subject to control are: tomatoes, salad, bell peppers, bananas, citrus fruit, grapes, apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, strawberries and kiwis.

Liberal-Democratic MP Tudor Deliu wondered why the list includes fruit and vegetables that are not cultivated in Moldova, while others that grow in Moldova weren’t included. The bill authors said amendments will be proposed for the second reading and the list will be extended.

The quality compliance certificates for fresh fruit and vegetables will be issued by the inspection body free of charge. The inspection body will create a database of business entities involved in activities related to the fresh fruit and vegetables sector.

According to the bill authors, when the control system is instituted, the Republic of Moldova could ask the European Commission to put it on the list of third countries whose checks of the compliance with specific sale standards were recognized as equal to the EU requirements.