The Scandal with the AKU (Food and Veterinary Agency)

Opinion by Ervin Resuli, Expert on Food Safety

Does food safety still matter in this country? Or is the AKU just a meaningless institution treated like a municipal enterprise? The facts are shocking and show a total collapse of this institution, directly endangering the health of Albanian citizens!

In the past 10 years, this institution has changed at least 8 directors, a clear indicator of the total lack of stability and professionalism. Municipal enterprises have more stable leadership than an institution that should guarantee the safety of the food we consume every day!

The most recent case – a scandal in itself! The last director of AKU, Olsi Komici, left after only one month because he ran for parliament. This is the standard of food safety in Albania today – an abandoned institution with no real priority.

While EU countries strengthen food safety regulations, the budget of AKU continues to be reduced, and the risks for citizens increase. And then we ask ourselves why unsafe food circulates in the market, why there are scandals with harmful products, and why Albania lags behind in European standards.

Is AKU an important institution for national security or just a worthless office?

Does anyone take responsibility for this chaos?

Who is accountable for the health of the citizens?

Enough with this irresponsibility! Food safety is vital and cannot be treated like a political position that changes according to interests! It’s time for deep and final action – food safety is a national security issue, not a political game!