SanPiN code: Russia is discussing the introduction of labeling of ready-made food
In Russia, the issue of introducing labeling of ready-made food is being discussed. The Association of Manufacturers and Suppliers of Ready—made Food told Izvestia that such regulation could appear, saying that the business supports the initiative of Rospotrebnadzor to introduce an additional control mechanism, but subject to a number of conditions. The authorities, according to industry representatives, should start with a voluntary pilot project, as well as develop a uniform approach to the subject of regulation. At the same time, the CRPT noted that they are already technically ready to ensure its implementation. Labeling may affect all processed food products in packaging, according to the Public Council at Rospotrebnadzor. They noted a high level of non-compliance of samples of ready-made food with the SanPiN standards: in 2025, it reached 64%.
Why do I need labeling of ready meals?
Business representatives told Izvestia following a meeting of the State Commission for Combating Illicit Trafficking in Industrial Products that the authorities are considering the possible introduction of labeling of finished food products. The event was held under the leadership of First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov at the end of December 2025, and one of the issues discussed at it was the regulation of the ready-to-eat market.
According to the draft protocol following the meeting (available to Izvestia), it was about products sold in retail chains and through delivery services. Rospotrebnadzor and Associations of manufacturers and suppliers of ready-made food took the initiative to introduce additional regulation at the meeting. The state Commission supported their position, it follows from the document. In this regard, it indicated that Rospotrebnadzor would be instructed to develop proposals for amendments to legislation, providing for the introduction of mandatory requirements for such products.
The draft protocol also instructed the Ministry of Industry and Trade, together with Rospotrebnadzor, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Center for the Development of Advanced Technologies (CRPT), to work out the issue of conducting an experiment in labeling ready-made food in Russia. However, the Ministry of Industry and Trade told Izvestia that "there is no such instruction in the current version of the protocol." At the same time, the ministry did not say that such an initiative was not being considered.
"The Association of Manufacturers and Suppliers of Ready—made Food supports the initiative of Rospotrebnadzor on labeling to prevent mass poisoning," Sergei Belyakov, president of the APPGE, told Izvestia.
However, this requires working out the current legislation and conducting a voluntary pilot project, he added.
— Labeling of ready-made food is able to prevent mass poisoning of citizens: transparent traceability of products allows you to quickly identify batches with violations and block their sale both in kitchen factories and at the checkout — even if the problem is detected in only one copy. Moreover, the labeling will allow tracking and recording the stage at which the violation occurred and carrying out "error correction" during the refinement of production processes, the industry representative explained.
Sergey Belyakov also noted that a number of bona fide manufacturers, including among the members of the association, already have internal traceability systems that ensure the safety of their products. At the same time, he drew attention to the fact that the introduction of mandatory labeling should be consistent and accompanied by improvements in legislation.
— First of all, it is necessary to ensure a uniform approach to the subject of regulation — for example, to exclude the mixing of "industrial" ready-made food and catering products through the development of sanitary legislation by Rospotrebnadzor and the national standard of the Ministry of Industry and Trade. It is also necessary to develop a separate OKPD-2 code for ready meals in the current All-Russian classifier of products by type of economic activity. It helps to determine whether a product is subject to labeling," explained Sergey Belyakov.
According to him, none of the current codes is suitable for determining the market for such products.
"Conducting a voluntary pilot project on its labeling will allow enterprises and retail chains to systematically adapt to changes, refine their systems and avoid price increases for ready—made food," the business representative believes.
According to Rospotrebnadzor, in 2025, 64% of the samples taken from finished products did not comply with the SanPiN standards, the Public Council at the agency told Izvestia. They noted that this was one of the main reasons for strengthening control over the industry and the need to introduce labeling of such products, which Rospotrebnadzor announced back in the summer.
— The ready-to-eat food industry is developing very dynamically, attracting millions of consumers. At the same time, statistics on the quality of these products indicate the need to take urgent measures to remedy the situation. The key mechanism is labeling, which has already proven itself in many industries. Its introduction is likely to affect packaged food produced by an industrial production method and will not affect the usual catering — the work of cafes and restaurants," said Oleg Pavlov, head of the Public Council at Rospotrebnadzor.
In the future, labeling may become more widespread and relate, for example, to culinary products that are manufactured and sold by weight in retail chains, he added. The Public Council is convinced of the need to tighten control over the producers of ready-made food themselves, on whose sites the main risks related to quality and safety are formed.
Mass poisoning of prepared food occurred in the summer of 2024. Then 417 people were poisoned with lobio salad from the Kitchen in the Area delivery service, two of them died. In July, 26 people sought medical help after eating shawarma in a cafe in northern Moscow. In St. Petersburg, more than 30 election commission employees were poisoned by lunch. Poisoning has also been reported in children's camps.
Izvestia sent requests to the press services of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rospotrebnadzor with a request to comment on the reasons for increased control over ready-made food.
Why does business support labeling of ready meals
The press service of the Center for the Development of Advanced Technologies (CRPT) told Izvestia that labeling ready-made food solves several practical problems.
— Firstly, it increases the transparency of turnover: it is visible who produced the products and when and on what basis they were put into circulation — this helps to identify "gray" supplies and goods of unknown origin. Secondly, it simplifies the control of expiration dates: when integrated with the cashier and accounting systems, the risk of selling expired products is reduced. Thirdly, if violations are detected, all unsafe or low-quality products can be immediately found and blocked, specific batches can be pinpointed without affecting bona fide manufacturers," the organization explained, noting that similar mechanisms are used in product categories where labeling already works successfully.
They also noted that it is premature to talk about the timing of the experiment and the details: they will be determined by regulators.
— We, as the operator, are technically ready to ensure the implementation on time, — emphasized in the CRPT.
Business representatives believe that labeling for many players, especially small businesses, will become a barrier and at the same time an incentive for development.
— It is already clear that large retailers and platforms will not work with unmarked products. Each unit of product will require a unique digital code, the cost of which varies from 50 kopecks without VAT per unit. Plus, additional control will be required at the stages of packaging, labeling and logistics. Therefore, it is predicted that the load on IT infrastructure and production processes will increase, especially in full-cycle kitchens and dark kitchens (establishments that prepare food exclusively for delivery)," said Alyona Zhorova, Director of service Development at Dostaevsky.
At the same time, she notes that labeling will become a filter for the market: only those who are able to quickly rebuild will remain. According to her, this will give an impetus to the growth of discipline, transparency and modernization of the industry.
Digital labeling can become an important transparency tool, primarily due to the ability to track the origin and movement of raw materials from which food is produced, Sergei Popov, General director of Samokat, told Izvestia.
— In the foreseeable future, the introduction of labeling of ready-made food will become necessary: This will increase the traceability of production, consumer confidence and become a driver of the industry's development. However, it is important that labeling is voluntary at the first stage, so retailers and their suppliers will have time to adapt to new requirements," added Elena Krupskaya, Director of Food Safety at X5.
She also noted that currently the definition of "ready—made food" at the state level is fixed only in the methodological recommendations of Rospotrebnadzor, according to which it is a dish produced and hermetically packaged industrially.
— Based on the experience of labeling implementation, we can say that if there is a single solution for the entire market, it will not become a challenge for the industry. Since many bona fide companies already operate according to their own strict standards, labeling will only be an addition to their usual control processes," the business representative added.
According to him, labeling will also help to more accurately manage short sales periods of finished products by automating processes, which can become an additional level of control in an already established security system. Integration with cash register systems will automatically block the sale of expired products or disruptions in the supply chain, the company representative concluded.
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