site.btaDeputy Agriculture Minister Sabev Attends Round Table on Homemade Food Production

During its Bulgarian Cheese Festival on Saturday, the village of Cherni Vit hosted a round table to discuss a draft ordinance on the specific requirements for the production of small quantities of food at home, which was prepared by several experts on the subject, the Ministry of Agriculture said. 

Regulations for farmers' markets and requirements for small-scale home-grown food production will reduce abuse and the shadow economy and respond to the reality that consumers are looking for such products, said Deputy Agriculture Minister Georgi Sabev during the discussion. 

The Deputy Minister recalled that within the framework of the European strategy The Farm to Fork Strategy, ways to shorten the path from producers to consumers are sought and stimulated. Sabev assured that the two proposed regulations will be examined by the experts in the ministry, with the support of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency. "This is the first discussion, and it should develop into a broad national one, so that different points of view can be heard," commented Sabev.

The discussion took place during the Bulgarian Cheese Festival in the village of Cherni Vit, Teteven municipality, which became famous for its green cheese.
Homemade cheeses from different regions of Bulgaria, cheeses from small dairies, bread, honey, wine and Bulgarian salt were presented at the forum. Cheese making demonstrations were organized as well as demonstrations of various environmental practices.

The festival has been held for the second year in a row, with the aim to make in an annual event. The goal is, in addition to showcasing different homemade cheeses, to raise awareness on the problems of small communities and look for solutions for them, the main organizer of the holiday and green cheese producer Tsvetan Dimitrov told BTA.