Russia may introduce labeling of glasses and lenses

In Russia, labeling of lenses for vision, glasses (sunglasses and intended for correction), as well as special solutions for their care will be introduced. The Federation Council Committee on Regulations proposed the Ministry of Industry and Trade to consider such a measure due to the high proportion of counterfeit and illegally exported products.

"To consider the introduction of mandatory labeling by means of identification of various categories of optical products (eyeglass and contact lenses, frames, correction glasses, sunglasses and protective glasses, care solutions) due to the significant proportion of illegal products in this segment and significant risks to consumer health," the document says, which was reviewed. Izvestia.

The press service of the Center for the Development of Advanced Technologies (CRPT) told Izvestia that the decision to introduce labeling is made by the government, and the operator acts as the executor of state decisions.

"For our part, we are ready to provide launch and maintenance in this product category as well. Today, labeling in a mandatory format covers 36 groups — from food to industrial, the mechanisms have already been worked out and, if necessary, can be scaled to new categories," the Center's press service said.

At the same time, they noted that thanks to labeling, the amount of counterfeit products in the pharmaceutical industry has been reduced to 0.01%, expired products — by three times, and counterfeit cancer drugs — by ten times.

"The illegal production of ethanol in the form of a medicinal product has decreased by 17 times. The system also made it possible to identify illegal medicines worth 1.1 billion rubles, to stop schemes of theft of medicines from hospitals — they were purchased at state expense and then resold in pharmacies. There is a similar effect in the medical products segment: 40 manufacturers of hearing aids and 180 importers of medical gloves have emerged from the "shadow"," the operator's press service reported.

Izvestia sent a request to the Ministry of Industry and Trade with a request to comment on the prospects for supporting the senators' proposal.

"According to our research, the optical products market is currently facing serious systemic problems: an increasing share of illegal products, gray imports and counterfeit goods, both in classic retail and online channels. This is not just about violations of trade rules, but about direct risks to the health of citizens, since eyeglass and contact lenses, corrective and sunglasses, as well as care solutions, if not properly controlled, can cause damage to vision, up to severe and irreversible consequences. At the same time, the scale of the shadow sector, according to the OPI, reaches 15-25 billion rubles per year, and in some segments the share of illegal products is critically high, exceeding 50-60% of turnover," Oleg Pavlov, head of the Public Consumer Initiative, said in a conversation with Izvestia.

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On March 20, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia proposed to introduce mandatory labeling of auto parts. The project provides for the phased introduction of mandatory labeling of certain types of vehicle components, devices with an internal combustion engine and self-propelled vehicles from September 1 of this year.

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