Roskoshestvo told what products manufacturers continue to falsify

Based on the results of the first half of 2023, Roskachestvo recorded that the level of falsification did not increase compared to the same period in 2022, remaining at 11%. Finance Mail.ru decided to find out what counterfeit goods continue to be found on the shelves and how you can protect yourself from an unpleasant purchase.

If we talk about problematic categories, we can single out honey, the press service of Roskachestvo said.

“The most important condition for honey is that it must be a product of bees. At the end of November last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the Federal Law on Amendments to the Law “On Beekeeping in the Russian Federation,” which consolidated the identification characteristics of honey previously established in GOST,” noted the department’s press service.

Before this, a manufacturer could call absolutely any product “honey,” even if it was actually jam or sugar syrup. Now the quality of beekeeping products will be ensured by standardization documents (GOST), which will be harmonized with international requirements. This is an important decision, and Roskachestvo has more than once drawn attention to the problem of honey adulteration in Russia.

In the course of extensive research by Roskachestvo, the share of such products reached 60% of the total number of brands studied.

Another category is caviar. According to NIFI estimates, illegal caviar trafficking is at a level of more than 20%. That is, at least every fifth can of caviar is fake or counterfeit.

The key mechanism in the fight against counterfeit of this product should be digital labeling, according to Roskachestvo.

Mandatory marking is a unique code that is applied to each product. The code is scanned at all stages from production to sale, and goods without a code, that is, a fake, cannot reach the shelves. Only goods with all documents, the quality of which has been confirmed by the state, can receive the label. It is important that the information hidden in the code cannot be faked; it is stored in the Honest Sign information system. That is, it will not be possible to change the expiration date, place of production and other information.

From April 1, 2024, labeling of salmon and sturgeon caviar will become mandatory - a special Data Matrix code will be applied to the jars, which can be scanned through the Honest Sign application or through State Services to ensure that the caviar is not counterfeit.

In a study of canned cod liver, published by Roskachestvo in early January, counterfeit was found in 2 out of 14 brands - manufacturers indicated cod liver in the labeling, and pollock liver was placed in the can. Claim work was carried out with manufacturers and retail chains, the press service of the Service summarized.