Siluanov proposes to introduce the definition of substitutes for dairy products
This is stated in the letter signed by Anton Siluanov to the Chairman of the EEC Board Tigran Sarkisyan. The document is available to the Editorial Board of The DairyNews.
As it follows from the appeal of the Ministry of Finance, a draft EEC order has been prepared, approving the establishment of identification features of a group of products of mixed composition produced using milk and milk fat substitutes, the mass fraction of which in the fat portion is 50% or more. This, according to the authorities, will prevent the consumer from being misled when purchasing dairy products.
"In this regard, I believe it necessary to consider the development and adoption of these changes in the framework of the reduced procedure without public discussion, without the preparation of the conclusion on Regulatory impact assessment and outside the plan for the development of technical regulations of Eurasian economic community", says the letter signed by the Head of the Ministry of Finance.
It should be noted that currently the technical regulations of the CU "On the safety of milk and dairy products" and "On the safety of food products" do not set requirements for products containing more than 50% of milk fat substitutes in the fat proportion in the composition. All these circumstances, according to the Ministry of Finance require a soon rapid response.
Among the definitions proposed by the draft order of the EEC there are the heat-treated fermented milk substitute, cheese substitute, sour cream substitute, condensed milk substitute, etc.
As the Director of the Russian Dairy Research Center Mikhail Mishchenko emphasized in his comment to The DairyNews, the initiative of the Ministry of Finance is correct, but does not solve the basic problem.
"I would not like to assess the procedural aspects in making this decision: the format of the adoption of these changes without public hearings. In fact, I can say the following: the desire of the government to clarify the definition of dairy products and what is called a dairy product, but it is not - it is commendable. And the fact that products containing more than 50% of vegetable fat will be called substitutes is correct", stressed the expert.
However, there is a basic problem, Mishchenko reminded.
"We are talking about the threshold values of the use of milk fat substitutes. They require much more complex research and control. It is very difficult to divide products into milk-containing and milk substitutes with current thresholds. It turns out that if you have a product with 49% of milk fat substitutes, it is a milk-containing product, and if it contains 50% it is a substitute. In my opinion, products with any percentage of milk fat replacement are a substitute. Leave dairy and dairy compound ingredients in the technical regulations. It's done all over the world. In order to be honest and correct, changes must be made to the foundation - all products with the replacement with vegetable fat must be transferred to the technical regulation "On the safety of food products". If the state takes the second step, as I mentioned, it will be a very serious breakthrough for the market!"- summed up Mikhail Mishchenko.
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