Food producers warned about the revision of food prices

Food companies have responded to the amendments proposed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade to the law on standardization, business claims serious risks, including possible price increases for products, including socially significant ones. The fact is that the agency is confident that the properties of products that are fixed in the internal standards of organizations and technical specifications should not be lower than those that have already been established in voluntary GOST standards. In fact, such conditions make standards mandatory in the Russian Federation.

Deflation beyond the threshold: why prices may slow down sharply

All factors are stacked in favor of their reduction in one of the coming months.

The norm is fraught with serious consequences, food industry experts are sure. For example, retail will face a significant reduction in the range of products and their rise in price. Therefore, the companies are asked not to take into account such an amendment to the law, they have already applied to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry so that the president of the organization, Sergei Katyrin, sent a letter to First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov. This is stated in a letter from leading manufacturers from the Soyuzmoloko, Rusbrand, Rusprodsoyuz associations, as well as the Fish Union, Ascond, the National Meat Association, and the National Bakery Union. Izvestia has reviewed the document.

Why is business confident that the new rule will have such consequences? The main reason is that the legislation now allows food manufacturers to produce products according to the organization's internal standards (SRT) and technical specifications (TU), according to their letter addressed to Sergey Katyrin. However, the goods must comply with the safety requirements specified in the technical regulations.

For completely different reasons, goods may now not meet the standards of national standards, among them the rapid obsolescence of such GOST standards. For example, Soyuzmolok estimates that up to 40% of dairy products on the market are produced by SRT or TU.

A new commitment may prompt a business to adjust its work to meet the rules. "In conditions of sufficiently high inflation, this can lead to an increase in prices for all food products, including socially significant ones," the document says. Up to 10% of the names of goods in the dairy industry alone may disappear from the market, the letter emphasizes.

As Sergey Katyrin, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Izvestia, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry is still considering a business appeal.

Read more in the exclusive Izvestia article:

Standard approach: business warned about a possible revision of product prices