The information about the discovery of pesticides in imported bananas has reopened the issue of food safety on the market of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the trust citizens have in the products they buy every day.
How common are such cases, who supervises food safety and is the control system sufficient to protect consumers?
According to the professor of food and nutrition ing. Nevenka Čengića, the food available on the BiH market is in most cases safe for health, but the quality of citizens’ nutrition is a serious problem.
– Citizens of BiH increasingly consume industrially processed food rich in salt, fats and sugars, while the intake of fresh and nutritionally valuable foods is often insufficient. The food is generally safe for health, but the nutritional quality of the diet is not satisfactory – points out Čengić.
The most risky foods
Speaking about foods that carry the greatest risk for food safety, Čengić states that these are, first of all, meat and meat products, unpasteurized dairy products, but also ready-made food, if hygiene and temperature conditions are not respected.
– With fruits and vegetables, the risk most often relates to the presence of pesticides and microbiological contamination – adds Čengić.
The professor also warns of the fact that citizens often do not read the declarations on products.
– Declarations are generally reliable, but in practice only the expiration date is checked, while the composition and nutritional values are ignored or misinterpreted – says Čengić.
The Food Safety Agency of BiH explains that supervision of food safety is carried out by competent inspections at all levels of government – from the Federal and Republic Administration for Inspection Affairs, through the Brčko District Inspectorate, to cantonal and municipal inspections.
Who controls?
Director of the Agency dr. sci. Sanin Tanković states that the controls are regular and that the results are systematically monitored.
– In 2025, a total of 2,194 food samples were analyzed for the presence of pesticide residues. Exceeding the maximum allowed quantities was found in 15 samples, which makes 0.68 percent of the total number of analyzed samples – points out Tanković.
He adds that the largest number of analyzes was done on fruit.
– 615 fruit samples were tested, and non-compliance was found in nine samples, i.e. 1.46 percent. In the case of vegetables, exceedances were recorded in 0.42 percent of the samples – says Tanković, noting that some of the disputed products did not even reach the final consumers.
Tanković also warns of the serious problem of compliance of domestic regulations with European legislation.
Outdated regulations
– The rulebook on maximum levels of pesticide residues in Bosnia and Herzegovina was last harmonized with the regulations of the European Union in 2021. In the meantime, numerous changes have been made in the EU, and a multi-year delay in the adoption of new regulations can seriously threaten the health of the population – emphasizes the director of the Agency.
In the Agency, as he states, they continuously monitor changes in European regulations so that, when the conditions are met, the new regulations can be immediately submitted to the procedure.
Caution necessary
Professor Čengić says that, in addition to institutional controls, citizens must also take care of the way food is stored and prepared.
– The most common mistakes are improper storage, interruption of the cold chain and insufficient thermal processing, especially in households – says Čengić.
Control system
Cases such as the discovery of pesticides in bananas show that the control system works, but also that there is room for improvement.
While institutions are doing their part, experts say that without better consumer education and more modern regulations, there is no complete food safety on the tables of BiH citizens, writes Avaz.
