Serbia’s food safety system suffers from fragmented oversight, staff shortages and weak penalties for violations, leaving parts of the food supply chain without adequate state supervision, according to a new report by the country’s Anti-Corruption Council.
One of the main problems is the division of responsibilities between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Health. Overlapping or poorly defined jurisdictions can lead to disputes between inspection services and gaps in supervision, including at restaurants, fast-food outlets and green markets. The Council also says Serbia’s National Reference Laboratory in Batajnica is not operating fully in line with its intended capacity, while laboratories used for food testing are often not selected through transparent procedures.
The report also highlights a shortage of veterinary, phytosanitary and sanitary inspectors, many of whom are responsible for large territories and thousands of establishments. As a result, inspections are often triggered by citizens’ complaints rather than carried out regularly. Meanwhile, online sales by unregistered vendors and the sale of perishable products outside authorised markets remain difficult to monitor.
The Council further warns that proceedings can take so long that violations become time-barred, while fines imposed on major producers and retailers may be too small to deter misconduct.
To address these weaknesses, the Council has recommended creating a centralised body bringing together food inspection services, filling vacant inspector positions and strengthening the National Reference Laboratory. It has also called for more unannounced food sampling, improved monitoring of grain and animal feed to prevent aflatoxin contamination, and stricter enforcement of pesticide-use rules. Other proposals include a digital system to trace food from farm to shop, public disclosure of confirmed inspection findings and stronger penalties for serious violations.
The Council also urged the government to improve support for small food businesses so they can meet hygiene requirements without being pushed into the informal economy. Public consultation on a draft new Food Safety Law concluded on 19 March 2026, but the Council stressed that the effectiveness of any new legislation will ultimately depend on how consistently it is implemented.
