Kazakhstan subsidizes labeling of dairy products
‘State support measures will be provided for dairy producers, which will allow providing compensation for up to 50% of the costs of labeling equipment and the costs of ordering codes. At the same time, small production facilities have the opportunity not to install equipment for applying labeling codes on the production line, but to order the application of the code on the packaging through the printing house. In this case, the cost of labeling will decrease 2.5-4 times,’ reported in the Ministry of Agriculture.
According to the Ministry, the share of the manufacturer's costs for labeling equipment in the retail price of the product will be from 0.06 to 0.15%. The cost of such equipment for one line varies from 0.5 to 9.2 million tenge, depending on the size of the enterprise and types of products.
Today, a pilot project on digital labeling of dairy products is already being implemented in the Republic of Kazakhstan, in which the companies "Shin-Line", "Molprodukt", "Adal sut", "Emil", Raimbek – agro and others participate.
‘The hidden turnover in the dairy industry is 13%, which means that every eighth dairy product sold in Kazakhstan potentially poses a danger to the health of the consumer. Digital labeling and traceability of goods is the main tool in the fight against low - quality products,’ noted in the press service.
The Ministry of Agriculture stressed that the Data Matrix code will block the cash disposal of expired goods, stores and distributors will not be able to change the information about the expiration date in the digital code. In addition, the buyer of labeled products using the Naqty Onim mobile application will be able to signal the manufacturer and state authorities about violations.
In addition, cryptographic protection and the impossibility of forgery of the digital code will make it impossible to falsify the product. The labeling process as a whole increases the traceability of goods – from the manufacturer to the final consumer, since all the logistics of products are displayed in the labeling system. The system generates a Data Matrix code for each package.
In 2021, since June 1 in Russia and since July 8 in Belarus, mandatory digital labeling of dairy products, in particular for ice cream and cheeses, has already been introduced. Digital labeling of goods is an international project implemented on the territory of the Eurasian Economic Union. Mandatory digital labeling of tobacco products has already been introduced in the Republic of Kazakhstan since October 1, 2020. Since November 1, 2021, mandatory labeling of shoes will start. Now, in addition to the dairy industry, "pilots" are undergoing on digital labeling of alcohol, pharmaceuticals, packaged water and sugar-containing beverages and light industry goods.
