The Ministry of Industry and Trade does not plan to postpone the introduction of mandatory labeling of dairy products

Earlier, the company Unilever, which produces ice cream Inmarco, announced that it could suspend the production of ice cream for 10 days due to the introduction of mandatory labeling since June 1, 2021.

‘The Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia once again draws attention to the fact that the deadline for the introduction of mandatory labeling of dairy products will not be postponed, and calls on Unilever and other market participants to take a responsible attitude to compliance with the legislation of the Russian Federation and their obligations to consumers,’ stressed in the ministry.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade reminded that during preparation for the start of mandatory labeling of dairy products, systematic and personal work was carried out with all enterprises of the industry, in which specialists of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Agriculture and the operator CATD took part. ‘Preparation for labeling of dairy products began 2.5 years ago; all companies in the industry had the opportunity to participate in the implementation of the pilot project and prepare for the introduction of mandatory labeling in advance, to find optimal solutions for integration into the technological processes of companies. Most of the participants of the dairy market, including such large companies with complex production as Chistaya Liniya, Molvest, Valio, Karat and others, managed to prepare for the introduction of labeling, as they timely decided on technical solutions for labeling products and took part in the experiment,’ the ministry noted.

They added that in order for all market participants to be able to prepare for the introduction of mandatory labeling in time, the rules for labeling dairy products provided for an additional transition period from January 20 to June 1, 2021. On the website of the labeling честныйзнак.рф (honestmark.rf) there has been organized a training center for participants in the turnover of goods and a calculator of technical solutions that allows you to choose the best way to implement labeling, reminded in the ministry. ‘The Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia and the operator regularly drew the attention of manufacturers to the need for timely conclusion of contracts for the supply of marking equipment, since due to high demand, the delivery time can be from 6 to 10 weeks. We believe that the decision of Unilever to suspend production for 10 days, if adopted, should not affect consumers,’ believe in the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

In addition, the decree of the Government of the Russian Federation, which establishes the procedure for working with labeled dairy products, is amended, which will allow manufacturers to sell unlabeled products produced before this date after June 1. Thus, ice cream producers will be able to ship the stocks of unlabeled products formed in warehouses to stores in June. Such products will be able to be in circulation until the expiration date, concluded in the ministry.