Many people heard in Moldovan parliament on providing schools and kindergartens with perished food

Chisinau, 9 December /MOLDPRES/- Many officials and representatives of institutions responsible for public food sector were heard in parliament in the case on providing schools and kindergartens with perished food products.

The head of the National Anticorruption Centre (CNA), Viorel Chetraru, said that his institution immediately intervened after finding out delivery of perished products to the educational institutions. “In early 2016, we initiated a survey on achieving public tenders and buying food products. Thus, we discovered that more public employees have faked the tenders, favoring certain economic agents. In March 2016, CNA initiated a criminal investigation. During investigations, a lot of complaints have been found on behalf of parents on food quality. Also, it was found that a representative of the National Food Safety Agency (ANSA) was preventing the economic agents on the planned controls. In all, 32 criminal cases have been initiated on the matter,” Chetraru said.

ANSA deputy head Ion Toma noted that producer and economic agent were responsible for food quality at the educational institutions. “It is regrettable what is happening in the country. In January-November 2016, over 2,000 controls were made at the educational institutions, and we made recommendations to the food quality. In over 1,500 cases we found nonconformities and about 200 violations. At the same time, we made controls at 18 warehouses of food delivery and found expired food products and forged documents. Nonconforming and expired products have been destroyed,” Toma noted.

At the same time, Deputy Health Minister Aliona Serbulenco said that the ministry was responsible for providing food products according to physiological needs. “We are monitoring the issues under evaluation of Public Health Centres. We are currently implementing modern type menus for children, which prohibit unhealthy food. At the same time, we find increase in number of food poisoning and use of unsafe food by keeping improperly and non-respecting sanitary-hygienic rules,” Serbulenco said.

For her part, Education Minister Corina Fusu said that her institution was not involved in children food chain and in buying and delivering food products. “The truth is we are not able to feed our children properly. We must find correct solutions, we are ready to change the things, but the results depend on responsibility. The Education Ministry made more controls at vocational schools and discovered irregularities. It is a complex problem. We have to modernize the equipment, to amend the legislation on holding trends, supervise and certify all products, as well as to increase the number of controls,” Fusu said.

Deputy Prime Minister on social problems Gheorghe Brega said “it is regrettable that we have such individuals in society who want to enrich themselves on account of children. It is a pity that economic agents proposing the cheapest bid win the tenders, but we know that the quality products have a higher price. It’s time to improve food sector and destroy corruption. At the same time, we propose to review the legislation on children food,” Brega said.

MPs were dissatisfied with the reports unveiled in parliament and asked a more active involvement in settling the problem on children food.

On 24 November 2016, CNA and Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office detained 17 people in the case on faking public tenders on providing schools and kindergartens with perished food. At the same time, other six persons have the status of accused. Among suspects are many economic agents and civil servants of the education, youth and sports departments.

(Reporter A. Plitoc, editor A. Răileanu)