Labeling of canned fish starts in Russia

On December 1, the first stage of mandatory labeling of certain types of canned products will start in Russia. The CRPT informed Izvestia that 135 companies - canned fish producers - are currently registered in the Honest Mark system. More than 5.1 million units of products with a special code have already arrived on store shelves.

"To help producers prepare for labeling, we have introduced an additional support measure - compensation of half of the cost of the necessary equipment. About 10 million rubles were allocated for this, based on the results of appeals of small and medium-sized businesses. We expect that in the near future labeling will help whiten the market, as it has already happened with caviar, where for seven months of the system's work 71 production facilities have been brought out of the shadows, of which the state was previously unaware," explained Revaz Yusupov, Deputy Director General of the CRPT.

The top-6 regions in terms of the number of labeled canned fish products include Primorsky Krai, Ryazan, Kaliningrad, Moscow regions, St. Petersburg and Vladimir region.

"Thanks to the innovation, we expect improved competition conditions for bona fide producers. Controlling bodies will be able to track all stages of fish products movement from catch to the counter. This will allow to promptly identify violations, such as substitution of expensive fish in canned products with cheaper ones. It is important that labeling will not affect the final price, while the consumer will be confident in the quality of purchased goods", - said the head of the Federal Agency for Fishery Ilya Shestakov.

The All-Russian Association of Fishery Enterprises, Entrepreneurs and Exporters added that in the first nine months of 2024 the production of canned fish in Russia exceeded 140.8 thousand tons - 3% more than in the same period last year. The largest increase in percentage terms - 74% - was demonstrated by the category "canned crustaceans, mollusks and other seafood". The output amounted to about 5.1 thousand tons. The production of canned tomato sauce increased by 27% to 46.2 thousand tons.

Pavel Bulgakov, General Director of Kallisto Group of Companies, a developer and integrator of solutions for product labeling, in his turn, noted that "modern labeling technologies allow to ensure traceability of products in any production conditions - from large coastal plants to floating vessels in the open sea, guaranteeing safety of canned products for consumers".

On September 1, labeling became mandatory for farms and cooperatives. Producers had to register in the labeling system, label their products and transmit information on the entry and withdrawal of goods from circulation. Experts agree that this will help farmers to get rid of unscrupulous competitors and buyers not to make a wrong choice.