According to official data, the town of Nova Gradiška has some 12,500 inhabitants. However, the locals say there are about 5,000 people left in the town. Shops, cafes and restaurants were closing down over time until two weeks ago. Then a new fast food restaurant opened in Nova Gradiška, offering pancakes for 10 kuna, sandwiches for 15 kuna and pizzas for 26 kuna. And if you do not have the money to pay – you will not stay hungry, reports RTL on January 18, 2019.

The 21-year-old entrepreneur Dora Vukšić has recently opened the restaurant. It is the first restaurant in Croatia to provide free meals feed to people who do not have enough money to pay. "People contact us on Facebook. They say they want a pancake, we prepare it, write that it is the pancake for that person. Before the person arrives, we pay for it, and the receipt stays with us. They just come to collect the meal,” explained Dora.

Everybody is welcome to come. And the employees of the restaurant guarantee them anonymity. “Most of them contact us over the phone or through the Facebook profile. There have been about a dozen such people, although we expected them to come in larger numbers. Perhaps people are ashamed to come,” Dora said.

Four people are employed in the restaurant and everyone, including Dora, have the same minimum wage. As soon as the business results allow it, she says she will increase everyone’s salaries, with her coming last. She explained that she is still getting used to being an entrepreneur. “I have a seal, and I have to carry it in my bag all the time. Still, I am happy because I know I am working for myself and I know it will be worth it,” said Dora.

The young mom used to work different jobs, including being a cleaner in Munich, Germany. But when she realised that it was not all milk and honey in Germany, she returned to Slavonia. Her fellow citizens are delighted; they say the town has finally woken up.

About 800 pizzas have come out of the restaurant kitchen since the beginning of the year. The business is doing better than expected, and they need more workers. "We are looking for a kitchen worker, but no one wants to work,” said Dora.

The young team, which feeds those who do not have the money to do it themselves, hopes that other restaurants will follow their example.

More news on charity initiatives in Croatia can be found in the Lifestyle section.

Translated from RTL (reported by Aida Šukurica).

It seems that Gypsy Table, a unique concept of top-quality dinners whose location is hidden until the final moment, has really conquered Croatia. The author of the idea is Richard Gruica, the ultimate gastronomic maestro and a visionary who has dedicated his latest edition of Gypsy pop-up dinners to women.

Inspired by his mother, the gastro-director this time brought together a strong female "cast" of chefs, artists, winemakers and other entrepreneurs in the world of food, wine, beauty and fine spirits.

At the very beginning of the year, on Friday, January 4th, Gypsy Table saw its third Zagreb edition, which again delighted the guests. After having fun the last time at "Katran", with acrobats, fire-breathers and fortune tellers, this time the location was the Avant Garden restaurant, which offered chic industrial experience to the guests.

As usual, the dinner started with welcome drinks, the Kraljica sparkling wine by winemaker Ivana Puhelek and cocktails mixed by Lori Brnčić and Gordana Muktić, inspired by the Santa Clara liqueurs, the Gin Mare and the 1724 tonic. The MC (mistress of the ceremony) was our well-known jazz singer Ines Tričković, who greeted the guests with a beautiful a cappella performance of La Vie En Rose.

The first course was a snack made with lard of black Slavonian pig, salad and sourdough bread, and chef Petra Plantak paired this dish with the 2017 Wild Skins wine, produced by the well-known winemaker and the Master of Wine, Jo Ahearne, who personally presented her wine. The second course consisted of black pudding with coleslaw black radish salad, red cabbage and a sauce made of cumin and a jam of purple onions, pomegranates, red wine and carob breadcrumbs, paired with 2013 Zinfandel by the Bura-Mrgudić winery. Antonija and Marija Mrgudić presented the wines.

The third course, tuna goulash with polenta by Ružica Jukučić, was paired with the 2014 Ahearne South Side Plavac Mali, while the fourth course was named “Crispy and Fragrantly" and consisted of lamb confit in olive oil, the Luganina sausage, barley, pumpkin cream and chickpea puree. The delicious meal was accompanied by the Bura-Mrgudić 2016 Plavac Mali Sivi, a Plavac Mali "mutant" macerated for four days and made by just three wineries in Croatia.

Throughout the evening, famous illustrator Maya Beus, whose background is with the international fashion houses, was making portraits of guests – each costing about 200 kuna. The income went to charity, more precisely to the Autonomous Women's House Zagreb (AWHZ), a feminist organization with the mission of providing support and assistance to women who have survived violence and of empowering women's position in the society.

The end of the evening was marked by the creation of famous Croatian pastrycook Petra Jelenić, the Great Dame Pumpkin. Antonija Nikolić paired it with the Spanish 75 cocktail, designed by the owner of "50 A Burger and Champagne Bar" Adena Lavin. The dinner was also supported by Ivana Urem Marohnić (the famous Korica bakery in Zagreb), Bosiljka Belić (excellent extra-virgin olive oil Oleum Viride), Sanda Martinčević (+ Gligora cheeses), Ana Teskera and Maja Šepetavec (Brlog craft brewery) and Irena Bastijanić (Poeticacao) whose sweet delicacies were given as presents at the end of the dinner.

All ladies were wearing clothes designed by Iva Karačić. 

MaliParty was the event space designer, while cocktails were also supported by Althaus and Hug & Punch Coffee Co, both female owned companies.

More news on the culinary events in Croatia can be found in our Lifestyle section.

Finance Minister Zdravko Marić has announced that starting from the beginning of 2019 the government would cut the VAT rate from 25 to 13 percent on fresh meat, fresh fish, fruits, vegetables, diapers, live cattle and eggs. The logical question is whether large retail chains will lower the food prices for end consumers or whether they will pocket the difference and extra money, reports Index.hr on November 16, 2018.

According to the responses sent by the retail chains, consumers should feel the difference. “Since customer satisfaction is always at the centre of our business, the prices will be adapted to their advantage. If the law is passed, Lidl’s buyers will feel the tax cuts when purchasing fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, eggs and diapers in Lidl's stores,” said Lidl.

This was also confirmed by Kaufland, which also plans to lower the prices of these products. “If the announced VAT reduction is implemented, we will surely adjust our prices so that the new food prices will be lowered to the full extent of the VAT reduction, which means that the announced VAT change will have a positive effect for our customers,” said Marija Franić, head of the Corporate Communications Department, Kaufland Croatia.

If the VAT rates on individual products are lowered, Tommy Split will also adjust the retail prices down, at least by the percentage of the VAT reduction. They say it is in their interest to make their products more price competitive and make consumers feel the positive effects of the new tax measures.

“We also hope that suppliers will not increase their prices, as this is also a prerequisite for lowering consumer prices when implementing the new VAT rates,” said Dario Mamić from Tommy Split’s corporate communications department.

Konzum also explained that everything depends on suppliers and, if they lower food prices, Konzum would do the same. “Konzum welcomes every move in the supply chain that leads to lower product prices for our end customers, especially when it comes to key consumer goods from the consumer basket. To make the buyers in the stores really benefit from the reduction in the VAT rate on certain products, the lower VAT rates have to be incorporated in prices by all those involved in the supply chain,” said Konzum.

If all of their suppliers, in line with good business practices, do so, they will be able to pass the reduction in the VAT to end consumers. “Konzum will definitely not use the reduction in the VAT rate to increase its margins, and we believe that other companies will do the same,” said the company.

Spar and Plodine are yet to send their answers.

For more on Croatia’s retail trading industry, click here.

Translated from Index.hr (reported by Martina Pauček Šljivak).

Marie-Paule Benassi, head of the Directorate-General for Justice and Consumer Protection at the European Commission, said at a roundtable on consumer rights held in Zagreb that controversy over the difference in the quality of Nutella was primarily the result of different recipes used in production, as well as the tradition and consumer habits, reports Večernji List on November 12, 2018.

Over the last few years, different studies in some EU member states have shown that there are differences in the composition and characteristics of the same brands, mainly between the markets of eastern and western members. In the Commission's view, these results are not comparable because of different ways of collecting samples, testing and interpretation.

At a panel Consumer Rights Dialogue held in Zagreb and organised by the Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts and the European Commission Representation in Croatia, great attention was paid to the problem of dual quality products on European markets. During the discussion, the controversial case of differences in Nutella quality was also covered.

“We have discussed the issue with Ferrero, the owner of the Nutella brand, and they explained to us that they have two recipes. The original recipe, the one from Italy, is available in all EU member states except in Germany. They have a different recipe,” Benassi said, asked about the issue of dual quality of products on the European market. “Ferrero is now working on changing the recipes to bring the Italian recipe closer to all consumers. In Croatia, the original Italian recipe will be available, as in France and other member states," added Benassi.

She also noted that there was no exact definition of quality in the European Union and that much depends on the tradition and taste of consumers. She noted that there is a broad body of laws in the European Union which protect consumers' rights.

A report presented by Croatia’s MEP Biljana Borzan in September showed that the quality of some products, including Nutella, varies depending on whether they are sold on the markets of older or newer members of the European Union.

In April, the European Commission proposed a new agreement, also known as the New Deal, to ensure the same standards for all European consumers. It published a set of guidelines for the implementation of the EU food and consumer rights directives on dual- quality.

The EU consumer laws prohibit unfair trading practices such as making customers believe that certain products are the same in all countries because, for example, they are sold in the same packaging under the same name, although they are substantially different in terms of composition and characteristics.

“The single market should not be a market of products of different quality. All member states should have products of the same quality if it is the same product,” said Ivona Bačelić Grgić, head of the Trade Department at the Croatian Chamber of Commerce.

Ivana Soić, Assistant Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts, said that Croatia would soon launch a website specializing in consumer rights.

For more on Croatia’s position within the EU, click here.

Prosciuttos from Croatia presented at one of the largest international food fairs.

The first prize in the competition went to the Chinese giant.

The most popular items are pickled garlic and spicy marmalades.

Retailers promise they will cut food prices.

David Skoko will join some of the world’s most famous chefs.

Will the Green and Blue Croatia finally get connected?