Over 300 Mega Image stores fined by ANPC: Moldy food, expired products, dirt and cockroaches

Mega Image stores were checked by inspectors of the National Authority for Consumer Protection. Following the controls, sanctions in the amount of 5.5 million lei were applied to 300 stores belonging to this retail chain.

Until now, between October 7-19, 2022, ANPC commissioners have controlled 305 stores, out of more than 800 owned by Mega Image, in Romania, to which is added one of the chain’s warehouses, in Ilfov county.

As a result of the detected irregularities, contravention fines in the amount of approximately 5.5 million lei were applied.

Also, the definitive stop from the sale of non-compliant food products in the amount of approximately 170,000 lei and the temporary stop from sale of food products in the amount of 175,000 lei were ordered.

12 of the locations were temporarily closed for a period of six months, and another 20 locations were proposed for temporary closure for a period of between six months and one year.

“The social impact in the lives of consumers, which each of the large store chains has, depends, of course, on the size of their network. In order to be able to determine whether or not we are dealing with a generalized practice, we decided to check at least two thirds of the work points at the level of each economic operator.

I do not understand What is meant by usual or unusual, when referring to the number of control actions. Already two of the verified commercial chains are shown to be more damaged by the number of actions than by the deviations detected. There is no legal restriction on the number of checks.

Furthermore, the warehouses of these economic operators were also checked, where irregularities were also detected. We would prefer that those sanctioned understand to put quality products at consumers’ disposal, instead of non-compliant ones, starting from commercialized vegetables and fruits, to frozen products with too much ice, commercialized at the price of a normal product.

I am convinced that each of the consumers understands that what we do is only in their interest, and the small number of economic operators in relation to the millions of citizens shows that this is how we must proceed”said Horia Constantinescu, ANPC president.

Irregularities discovered in Mega Image stores

ANPC inspectors found moldy fruit and vegetables, old food products, unsanitized and damaged display cases and refrigerated cases, full of rust, insects, debris, water leaks, dust, grease and excess ice.

Also during the controls, ANPC also identified unsanitized sheds with an obvious layer of impurities, dust and food scraps, cracked windows, broken sheds and taped.

Expired products, cosmetic products that did not have the mandatory information on the labels and missing labels were also discovered.

In the gastro area, the temperature regime for preserving the preparations was not respected, and mold was found on the surface of plastic crates in which prepackaged food products were stored.