Tesco Slovakia is poised to fight a €1 million fine levied on its supermarket in the town of Partizánske by state food safety regulator.
The State Veterinary and Food Administration of the Slovak Republic (ŠVPS) has never imposed a higher fine in the country. The record fine of €1 million comes after repeated breaches of food safety regulations in one of the Slovak units of the British retailer.
The food safety watchdog has found repeated irregularities in this particular Tesco supermarket. The fine was imposed upon Tesco for lack of cleanliness and adequacy of food premises, for offering food that was past expiry date, and for selling rotten fruit and vegetables.
Last year, German retailer Kaufland was fined €100,000 for similar inadequacies in one of its Slovak supermarkets, but the fine now levied on Tesco is the highest so far. The highest possible penalty for repeated wrongdoings of supermarkets in Slovakia is €5 million.
Commenting on the case, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Slovak Republic said that the purpose of these sanctions is to ensure an adequate level of food safety. “Retailers are aware of the range of possible sanctions and we hope that they have set their internal controlling mechanisms adequately in order to reduce the most serious infringements of food safety regulations,” a ministry spokesman said.
Tesco already challenged the fine with the food safety regulator, but ŠVPS confirmed the sanction. Now the British retailer has turned to the court to stop the enforceability of the fine.
© 2015 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article written by László Juhász.
