This year (until September 8), 234 reports of unsafe products have been published. In comparison, 333 such reports were published throughout 2024, and 311 in 2025.
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Although this year’s number is not final yet, the available data does not by itself indicate a sudden significant increase in unsafe food on the market.
More information does not necessarily mean more unsafe food
According to Daiva Ruželienė, advisor at the Vilnius District Supervision Department of VMVT, the impression among consumers that unsafe food is increasing may also be reinforced by the fact that information about detected cases today spreads much more widely and quickly.
“More frequent warnings about unsafe products do not necessarily mean that our food has become less safe. Information about unsafe or recalled products is provided not only by VMVT but also by retail chains and manufacturers, so the same case can be visible multiple times in the public space. Therefore, the same message may appear more than once and create the impression that there are more unsafe products on the market than actually detected.
A published unsafe product does not necessarily mean food contaminated with bacteria. Unsafety can also be determined due to chemical or physical contamination, undeclared allergens, unauthorized food additives whose effects on human health are not sufficiently studied and scientifically substantiated, or other non-compliance with requirements. Unsafe food does occur on the market, but VMVT, when evaluating data from previous years, focuses control and sample selection on the riskiest areas. This allows unsafe products to be identified more accurately,” says Daiva Ruželienė, advisor at the Vilnius Supervision Department of VMVT.
According to her, the most important thing for consumers is to remain vigilant and check whether the product they have belongs to a specific product batch. If the product at home has been declared unsafe, it should not be consumed. Such a product should be returned to the point of sale.
Unsafe products can be checked in real time
VMVT publishes information about unsafe products on a specially created Unsafe Products Notification Board. It is constantly updated, so consumers can check for themselves which products have been recognized as unsafe.
The board provides information not only about a specific product but also allows filtering data, monitoring trends of unsafe products, seeing their country of origin, and other relevant information.
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This means that consumers do not have to rely solely on information appearing on social networks; they can check data about a specific product themselves.
Businesses are primarily responsible for food safety
VMVT reminds that the responsibility for the safety of food supplied to the market lies primarily not with the supervisory authority but with the business itself: the manufacturer, importer, processor, distributor, or retailer.
Companies must have functioning self-control and quality assurance systems that include the recall of unsafe products from the market. If it is established or suspected that a product may be unsafe, its supply must be stopped immediately. A product recall from the market is organized, informing consumers who purchased the unsafe product. VMVT, in turn, conducts market and import control, investigates detected cases, and checks how companies fulfill their obligations.
Risk can also be reduced at home
According to D. Ruželienė, consumers can reduce some food-related risks through daily habits: properly storing food, separating raw meat from ready-to-eat food, thoroughly washing hands and surfaces, and adequately thermally processing food.
Proper thermal processing, for example, helps destroy bacteria such as salmonella.
So, 234 reports do not by themselves mean that grocery store shelves have become more dangerous. Today, consumers learn about possible risks faster, information is constantly updated and widely publicized, and information about the same product can be seen multiple times, so it is important not only to evaluate the headline but to check the specific product batch.
