The European Commission has brought in the Rowland Company in
Moscow to raise awareness of a food safety project in the area affected
by the Chernobyl nuclear accident of 1986.
Consumers are being exposed to food contaminated with radioactivity and
heavy metals like lead. They ignore safety warnings because they do not
currently trust the reliability of food testing, according to Rowland
Moscow managing director Rory Day.
The European Commission project has provided modern testing equipment
and has assessed food retail outlets’ standards of safety. It has also
introduced the checking of contamination levels in food from harvesting
to distribution.
’The project is compiling a list of food businesses which have
co-operated with the project, and that list will be made available to
the public,’ explained Day.
Via a media relations campaign, Rowland will make consumers aware of
food safety helplines in Kiev, Minsk and Bryansk, and of the new
standards which are being applied to food testing.
’Consumers can also make a difference by taking steps such as washing
food thoroughly,’ said Day.
As a result of the campaign, Day hopes to be able to change the
procedures of businesses and to raise awareness of the new standards
among consumers, whose main concern is price. He said European
investment in sophisticated testing equipment will help to raise the
credibility of the testing procedures.
The Rowland Company’s Moscow office also works for TNT Express Worldwide
and oil and gas company Schlumberger.
