Journal
Practical notes on sterilised preserves, buying for retail and food service, and food safety.
8 October 2026 · 6 min read
Pickled or Fermented? Inside a Jar of Gherkins
Fermented gherkins are soured by bacteria, pickled ones by vinegar. How to tell them apart on a label, what each is for, and why ours are sterilised.
1 October 2026 · 6 min read
Satsebeli, Ketcha and Ukrainian Sauce: A Guide
Five Eastern European table sauces, Satsebeli, Ketcha, Lecho, Ukrainian and Ukrainian Hot: what is in each jar, how they differ and what to serve with.
24 September 2026 · 6 min read
Ikra, Adjika and Ajvar: What Sets Them Apart
Vegetable ikra, adjika and ajvar share a jar and a colour and little else. Base vegetable, heat, texture, role on the plate and what to check on the label.
24 September 2026 · 6 min read
From Condensed Milk to Preserves: 25 Years
What 25 years of condensed milk taught MADESA before it made vegetable preserves, heat treatment, hygiene, traceability, and what had to be learned anew.
17 September 2026 · 7 min read
Allergens in Jarred Vegetables: What to Check
Which of the 14 EU allergens appear in jarred vegetables, gluten in thickeners, celery and mustard in spices, nuts, sulphites, and how to read a label.
10 September 2026 · 6 min read
ISO 22000 vs ISO 9001: What Each One Covers
ISO 22000 covers food safety, ISO 9001 covers consistency and customer requirements. What each certificate verifies, where they overlap and what to check.
10 September 2026 · 6 min read
Glass Jar or Pail? Pack Formats and Storage
Glass jars from 480 g to 3 kg or a 5 kg pail: how to choose a pack format for kitchen or shelf, what it means for shelf life, and how to store preserves.
3 September 2026 · 7 min read
Sourcing Preserves from Ukraine: 12 Questions
Twelve questions an EU importer should ask a Ukrainian preserves manufacturer, certification, documents, labels, origin, logistics, with our answers.
27 August 2026 · 7 min read
ISO 22000 Explained for Food Buyers
What an ISO 22000 certificate proves, what it leaves out, and how to read scope, sites, validity and accreditation, using MADESA's own certificate.
27 August 2026 · 7 min read
Building an Eastern European Shelf: Retail Guide
How to plan an Eastern European shelf in an EU supermarket: core categories, pack sizes, labelling duties, seasonality and what to ask a supplier.
20 August 2026 · 6 min read
DSTU and TU on a Ukrainian Label, Decoded
What DSTU and TU U numbers mean on a Ukrainian preserve label, how to read a grade, and which questions to ask a supplier before you sign a specification.
13 August 2026 · 6 min read
Private Label Preserves from Ukraine: A Guide
From brief to first production run: six steps of a private label project for sterilised vegetable preserves, and what the manufacturer does not promise.
30 July 2026 · 5 min read
Lecho: From Hungarian Lecsó to Ukrainian Tables
Where lecho comes from, how the Ukrainian jar differs from Hungarian lecsó, what is in ours, and how to use it in a shop or a kitchen.
16 July 2026 · 6 min read
Choosing Tomato Paste for Food Service
Dry matter, pack size, yield and storage: how professional kitchens choose tomato paste, plus a checklist for comparing supplier specifications.
2 July 2026 · 6 min read
Sterilisation Without Preservatives, Explained
What sterilisation does, what preservatives do, and why “no added preservatives” describes a process rather than a promise, explained for buyers.