Cheese inspection: 59 samples checked, 38 are falsified

Based on the facts of the revealed violations, Roskontrol sent all the material about the conducted research to Rospotrebnadzor and retail chains, in order to take appropriate measures — to conduct an investigation, to limit the sale of falsified and dangerous products. However, the number of falsified products only increased. The number of supermarkets selling low – quality cheese has also increased - 11 out of 15. The money was more expensive than reputation for such networks as "Billa", "Magnit", "Globus", "7ya", "Lenta", "Auchan", "Ya Lyubimy", "Spar", "Verny", "Victoria" and "O’KEY". In these networks on the day of the ordinary inspection there was presented a wide range of falsified products. 

In the Black list included the products of the following manufacturers: "Pereslavlskiy Cheese factory","SDM", "Porkhovskiy", "Brasovsky cheese", "Melodiya Vkusa", "Syrodel", FreshFoods, "Kamensky butter and cheese plant", "Dobry syrovar", "Stolitsa moloka", "Dankovskiy dairy plant".

It is important to note that half of the falsified samples were also characterized by quite high content of trans-isomers of fatty acids. This may indicate that milk fat was replaced not only with traditional and relatively safe palm oil, but also with hydrogenated vegetable or beef fat. In addition to the fact that these products are falsified it is also a health risk.

The good old and, by the way, relatively harmless palm oil is no surprise. Recently, studies have been identifying the replacement of milk fat with hydrogenated vegetable or beef fat more and more often. Such products bring even greater profits and cause even more harm to health. It comes to Russia from the friendly and not very friendly border republics and is offered at a wholesale price of 140-150 rubles per kilogram. In retail, it is sold at 300-350 rubles per kilogram.

In the current economic situation, inexpensive cheese is in active demand among buyers. In this regard, retail chains dictate strict conditions to suppliers and minimize purchase prices. But miracles do not happen. The minimum possible retail price of natural cheese made from milk is 420-450 rubles / kg. All that is cheaper, according to research, is mainly cheese -like product.

The cost of milk fat (99%) is 714,838 rubles per ton. The cost of a substitute for milk fat based on palm oil is from 70,000 to 120,000 rubles per ton. To make a ton of cheese one needs 280 kg of fat.  Here is a simple arithmetic of production of cheese and its analog. It is not difficult to calculate how much the manufacturer saves by replacing even part of the milk fat. As a result, retail chains get a cheap product and a high turnover, the manufacturer has good sales, and the buyer gets a surrogate made from palm oil instead of cheese.

Alexander Borisov, co-Chairman of the Consumer Union "Roskontrol": "Retail chains cannot but know what products are presented on their shelves. There are not so many cheese producers in Russia, all the factories and their capabilities are known. The audits of production facilities are regularly conducted. In the end, the buyers of retail chains know the selling prices. However, on the shelves there are products of unknown plants from the unknown suppliers. Such a policy of retail chains, with the connivance of Supervisory authorities, simply destroys honest producers. That is why the blame for the falsification of goods should be laid not only on those who make them, but also on those who sell them."

At all stages of the inspection of dairy products held by the Roskontrol, there have been tested 59 samples of cheese and 31 samples of butter. We're continuing our checks.

We are grateful to our readers who send photos of suspicious products from stores. You help us a lot and speed up the process of procurement and research. We collect all information about the revealed violations and pass them to the Supervisory authorities.

Read full article in Russian on DairyNews.ru