Romania is at a critical moment for its food security: although we are proud of centuries-old traditions in raising pigs, today we import up to 80% of the pork consumed, brought to our knees by a swine fever that the state cannot control. At the same time, we throw away more than 2.5 million tons of food annually, being the European “champions” of waste in a country that constantly complains of poverty. About the trap of “organic” products that can hide pesticides, the future of traditional foods in the face of globalization and the labor force crisis in the food industry, we talked with university professor Dr. Mircea Oroian, the dean of the Faculty of Food Engineering at “Ștefan cel Mare” University in Suceava.
Many Romanians buy compulsively and waste food PHOTO freepick
The “truth”: Organic products are more and more present on the shelves, but also more expensive. Can we fully trust what is written on the label, or is there a risk that we are only paying for well-crafted marketing?
Mircea Oroian: Organic products, as long as the state doesn't do its job to verify them, might just be a logo on the packaging and that's it. Research has been done in Romania, but also abroad, and it has been proven that pesticides were found in organic products that should not have been. Without a strong state to ensure that those products are truly organic, we might pay 10-20% more for a conventional product just because it says organic on there. I have my own experience: I bought organic carrots and conventional carrots. The conventional ones went moldy faster than the organic ones, which had a month or so in the fridge and were still like that. So I wouldn't want to cast anathema and say that all organic products are not organic, but we need the state authorities to say: “yes, really what is sold on the market is organic”.
How important are traditional products still in such a globalized world and how should we present them to those who visit our country?
Traditional products… we are in a Europe of nations. For us to keep our national identity — not to be a sovereignist, you just have to come up with something special for yourself — you have to maintain these traditional products, because they help you a lot in the tourism promotion of the areas. I mean, a tourist from London is not going to come to Botoșani to eat fried potatoes with fish. In addition to the fact that he will want a cultural experience, he will also want a culinary experience, but not the same products that he sees at home. Some we may have to adapt to today's specifics and tastes. I was looking at Western European consumers: they don't appreciate high-fat products, instead we put them on a pedestal.
Speaking of fats, an indispensable product on the Romanian table is bacon. Is it really a health hazard or is it more about lifestyle?
Bacon is good, but in moderation. It's not the substance that kills, but the dose. If I eat bacon and have a very active life, it's very good because I need energy. But if I have a sedentary life, I don't go and eat 200 grams of bacon and then sit and watch TV. Everything has to be balanced, depending on what I do in a day, so that in the end I have a caloric balance and not a caloric surplus.
We're on the verge of the holidays and we're seeing congestion in supermarkets again. How do we, Romanians, stand in terms of food waste and how do we relate to consumption?
We as a society, at the level of food waste, are in a bad place. For example, now we are before the Easter holidays and you will see how people come out of the shops with shopping baskets loaded to the brim, as if the end of the world is coming. The world is focused on high consumption, not necessarily what is needed, but to be there. The European Union and in this case Romania is one of the areas in the world where a lot of food is wasted. I mean, even if there was a drop in production, if we adjusted our style of consumption and self-consumption, I think we won't suffer anything. I mean, just as we didn't suffer anything from 1985 to 1989 with the pig “sneakers”, we won't suffer anything from now on.
Romanians have become dependent on imported pork
Why are we so dependent on imports when it comes to pork? What are the sectors where we suffer the most and why are we unable to ensure our domestic consumption?
We have sectors that are exceptional and sectors that are deficient. In the chapter of deficient sectors, we can pass the processing of pork, especially the raw material. A lot comes from imports because we are unable to control outbreaks of African swine fever. I think there are several factors, including the responsibility of the authorities, of the Government, that they did not take strict measures as other states did. Such as Spain, which banned the breeding of subsistence pigs, because studies show that the virus often spread there more easily than in large livestock complexes. In Romania, we have a very large animal husbandry complex in Timișoara where effectively everything is protected; from the moment the pig enters there until it is slaughtered, the biosecurity conditions are at a very high level. However, 80% of pork comes from imports. It's a lot. I think there were periods when it reached 90%. There have been other pork producers in Romania who managed to lower this percentage. In Timișoara, as I told you, they reach 2 million heads in their perspective. Yes, but the market needs 20 million heads. At the time when there were those outbreaks of African swine fever, it was necessary to destroy the pigs and it was proven that the virus remains active even after they closed those farms. Even though they have done all kinds of treatments, it seems that the virus is very aggressive.
Which vegetable is the most contaminated with pesticides. You should buy it in the organic version
What is the biggest challenge in fighting swine fever, given both the geographical context and the tradition of pig farming in peasant households?
Yes, but if we want to keep the pig in the weed, people must understand that when they go with their slippers from home to the pig, they can bring this virus on the sole of the slipper. We have a lot of wild boars in the Moldova area that cross the border very easily, and the Ukrainians have outbreaks of swine fever and those from the Republic of Moldova. They need to understand the risks we run when we don't follow the rules.
“There are plumbers in Romania who earn better than teachers”
Recently, we have noticed an increasing presence of Asian workers in restaurants and food production units in Romania. Why did we end up importing labor and where is the divide between school and employers?
In recent years we have noticed that many economic agents, whether at the local or national level, import labor from Asia. Many of them are even from the public food sector, and this shows that we have a shortage of skilled labor in the market. Maybe sometimes the offer on the market does not meet the demand, and I think that economic agents and school inspectorates, specialized high schools, should reach a common denominator. There are many students of these schools with a technological profile, catering, who should be included in the labor market. We have to see why they don't choose to stay in Romania; maybe the market doesn't offer what they want, or the market thinks they should have something more.
ANPC warns Romanians to be careful with packaged meat: “It is recommended not to consume the product”
There is also a difference in salary between Romania and the West, but we calculate it in absolute terms — that there they earn 2000 euros and here maybe less. There are many studies that show that, in fact, it is what is left behind and the quality of life that matters. Many who go to Great Britain or Belgium live more than once in the same house, in the same apartment, things that they would not have accepted in Romania. What they would accept there, they don't accept here. They may also want a new perspective, to see what it's like abroad, but salaries can be a starting point in the discussion between the three or four parties involved in this equation.
There is still a mental barrier in Romanian society related to vocational schools. How can we rehabilitate the image of these trades and how much does the degree really matter in relation to the mastery you have in a practical field?
I think it is a preconceived opinion of society because about 15 years ago, even from the head of the Ministry, it was said that we should no longer have vocational schools and we kept changing the name of these schools until we forgot what they are actually called. And from this year we no longer have vocational schools, we have technological high schools with technological profiles. Society must understand that a society as a whole works with doctors, and engineers, and teachers, but also with specialists in catering, plumbers or mechanics. Everyone has their role in society.
There are plumbers in Romania who earn much better than teachers. As long as you are a good specialist, it doesn't matter what field you work in, because you will find your place and the market will pay you at the expected level.
