Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has signed a new law that requires at least 51% of the produce sold in the country's supermarkets and hypermarkets to be of local origin.
The law has thus officially entered into force, after its adoption by the Romanian Parliament in June.
The aim of the new measure is to support local farmers and it will be valid only for food sales in retail outlets that have an annual turnover higher than €2 million.
According to the text of the law, 51 per cent of fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs, honey, milk and bakery products will have to be derived from regional and national suppliers. Also, it will be required to label the country of origin of fresh and processed meat.
If stores break the law, the penalty ranges between RON 100,000 (€22,389) and RON 150,000 (€33,584).
The law was criticised by the local wholesalers association, which believes that the move will lead to an increase in prices of goods and leave thousands of suppliers out of business.
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
