An experiment on labeling meat products and semi-finished products will be launched in Russia

Large-scale testing of a new labeling system for meat products, semi-finished products and frozen food products will begin in Russia. This was reported on November 19 by TASS with reference to a decree of the Russian government.

The experiment on meat products will last until February 28, 2026. Meat products, including sausages, offal, and poultry products, will be labeled if they are packaged in consumer packaging. The goal is to create a unified approach to labeling this category of goods and to select the most effective technologies for applying identification tools. Participation will be voluntary and free of charge.

"Manufacturers and importers of goods, as well as wholesale and retail trade organizations, will be able to participate in voluntary labeling," the agency reports.

A separate block of the initiative concerns semi-finished and frozen food products. In the test mode, labeling will affect fresh and frozen poultry carcasses, packaged frozen fish, vegetables, fruits, berries and mushrooms.

The events are being held as part of the implementation of the Strategy to Combat Illicit Trafficking in Industrial Products until 2025, as well as the state strategy for consumer protection, calculated until 2030.

The Code Battle: how digital labeling can displace illegal trafficking of consumer goods

Labeling does not completely exclude the appearance of counterfeiting, experts say.

Earlier, on October 7, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia proposed to introduce mandatory labeling of meat and sausage products from August 1 and October 1, 2026, respectively. It was clarified that from March 1, 2026, registration of participants in product turnover in the labeling system will be introduced, and from August 1, 2026, meat products will be subject to mandatory labeling. Full labeling of sausage products will begin on October 1, 2026.

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