Ten of the 13 defendants in the Veviba food scandal have been ordered to appear before a criminal court by the council chamber in Marche-en-Famenne, according to the public prosecutor on Friday.
Five individuals and five companies will face numerous charges for violating food safety legislation. The case involves 81 technical breaches, including issues with traceability, expired food, and improper refrigerator temperatures.
The case began in 2016 after Belgian authorities were warned about rotten meat exports from Veviba, a meat-processing company in Bastogne, Wallonia.
Major raids carried out in 2018 at the Bastogne site revealed practices which violated the regulations of the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (Afsca). This led to the agriculture minister revoking the company’s license.
Veviba supplied major retailers like Colruyt and Delhaize, which promptly removed the brand’s products from their shelves. Rebranded as Qualibeef, the company eventually went bankrupt in 2019.
The trial is expected to begin in 2025.
