Food safety in Albania/ Farmer raises alarm: We are only eating poison, there are no rules

2026-03-11 13:05:00, Sociale CNA

Food safety in Albania/ Farmer raises alarm: We are only eating poison, there

Food safety in Albania continues to remain one of the most sensitive issues for citizens, especially at a time when a large portion of the products consumed every day come from imports.

From fruits and vegetables, to meat products, dairy products or flour, the supply chain is long and often difficult to fully control. For this reason, concerns are increasingly being raised about the quality of the products that end up on the tables of Albanian families.

In this context, farmer Filloreta Prifti raises a number of concerns regarding the quality of food circulating on the market. She says that the situation is alarming and that, according to her, the lack of concrete measures to control food products endangers the health of consumers.

"The food situation is catastrophic, because a people that has 'a handful' left is being slowly exterminated. I would call this 'food genocide', meaning people who work and sacrifice and in the end only buy poison. No measures are being taken to stop this massive poisoning that is being done to the people. The food security system in Albania is in total chaos, a country where work is done without rules," says Prifti.

Food safety in Albania/ Farmer raises alarm: We are only eating poison, there

According to her, citizens should be more careful about the products they consume and be informed about their origin and composition, since a large part of the food found on the market comes from imports. Prifti emphasizes that the state does not conduct controls and there are no rules followed to monitor the current situation.

"What people need to know is that before they swallow a bite, they should think about where it comes from, what poisons it contains, who produces it and how controlled this food is. 80 percent of food in Albania comes from imports and from some entities that do not care about quality at all, as they are only interested in profit. The state does not carry out any control and there are no rules, but even the few farmers who plant in Albania use chemical fertilizers such as glyphosate, herbicides and pesticides to increase the quantities of products," says the farmer.

Prifti says that the quality of some basic food products, which she says are widely used in everyday life by Albanian families, remains a concern. She mentions here different types of oil, meat and dairy products, as well as flour.

"It's the whole range of foods, starting from oils that I consider 'lubricants', meat and dairy products and flour and its by-products. All flour and those produced from flour in Albania are poisoned. Flour is totally prey to the use of glyphosate and long storage in warehouses. People need to start waking up, finding individual solutions," says the farmer.

Food safety in Albania/ Farmer raises alarm: We are only eating poison, there

According to her, the origin of the food used for livestock also remains problematic, as a large part of it comes from abroad and contains pesticides.

"A good part of the livestock today comes from abroad, but even those that are raised in Albania, most of them are fed with imported products. Here I mention wheat that is poisonous, like the bran, that is, the skin of a wheat that is used as food for livestock. Consequently, that milk and that meat are poisoned. Likewise, the corn and barley that come from abroad are also contaminated with pesticides," said Prifti.

The farmer also raises questions about the role of the institutions responsible for controlling food products. According to Prifti, the AKU institution is not doing anything to control the food products that Albanians consume.

"I know that the AKU institution exists, but I don't know what this institution does. Does anyone do any studies on the diseases that bring this 'evil' plague to the health of Albanians? No one does any analysis of what causes this. We don't know what these institutions are dealing with," said Prifti.

Food safety remains an issue that requires constant attention so that the products that reach consumers are safe for health. While concerns continue to be raised by farmers, it remains essential that responsible institutions strengthen controls and monitoring throughout the food production and trade chain. Only through clear rules, continuous analysis and transparency towards consumers can it be guaranteed that the products that end up on Albanians' tables are safe for health./CNA