Manufacturers in the EAEU countries were offered to oblige to disclose their internal standards by which they produce food products. Data on these documents will be indicated on the packaging. We are talking about technical conditions (TU) and organization standards (STO).
The initiative, supported by the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia, is being considered by the Eurasian Economic Commission. According to experts, this step will reduce the share of counterfeit products on the market, and consumers and regulatory authorities will receive accurate information about the product and will be able to control the implementation of the standard. Now TU and STO are the intellectual property of enterprises, which they most often do not publish.
According to Pyotr Shelishch, Chairman of the Consumers Union of Russia, in essence, TU and STO are a substitute for state standards that are applied on a voluntary basis in Russia. When manufacturing new products, the manufacturer is required to register TU and STO in the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor). These documents impose requirements on the characteristics of the product, its appearance, raw materials for its production, manufacturing method, etc.
According to expert estimates, Pyotr Shelishch noted, up to 80% of food products are made according to TU. Manufacturers make TU and STO non-public due to the fact that they have no obligation to disclose in accordance with which standard they manufactured the product. That is, customers do not have access to this important information for them. Pyotr Shelishch said that the main idea of the innovation is to strengthen control over the authenticity and quality of products. If the manufacturer has released products outside the factory whose quality does not meet the declared standards, it can be held liable for consumer fraud or falsification.
Based on mkond.ru.
