Hungary said Monday it has joined with Slovakia in calling for the EU to stop multinational food firms from selling identically-branded inferior products in different countries. The move follows findings in reports by food watchdogs in both countries that suggested many food products sold with identical packaging were superior in neighbouring Austria and Germany.

An EU Council meeting next month will debate the issue after a joint submission made by Budapest and Bratislava, said a statement by the Hungarian agriculture ministry. "(Hungary) expects the EU to examine the issue and come up with legal solutions, so that consumers in Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, and Germany, can buy the same quality of a manufacturer's brands," said the statement. Current EU law does not provide for sanctioning multinationals for dual quality of foodstuffs, it added.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2017