The production and sale of the famous ‘mici’ (minced meat) under the current recipe might be banned in Romania starting this June, following the entry into force of European regulation that prohibits the use of sodium carbonates, a preservative and an antioxidant in the composition of these products, according to local business news service Ziarul Financiar. These three food additives are apparently essential when preparing mici.

However, even if according to the legal provisions the production of mici under the current recipe would be banned starting June 2013, this product is unlikely to disappear permanently from the stores. According to ZF, the Romanian Meat Association - the leading organization of meat processors on the local market - submitted a request to the European Commission asking for the current mici recipe to be added to the list of traditional European foods so that Romanian meat processors could still use the additives banned for other products.

The local market amounted to some 22,000 tons of mici last year. On May 1, McDonald’s Romania introduced the famous mici in its menu in the form of a sandwich with the mici minced meat mix and mustard, sold under the name McMici.

Over the summer, Romanians usually go barbecuing and mici is one of the traditional barbecue products.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com

(photo source: Sxc.hu)