Mikhail Mishchenko: Protection of dairy products is a useless job that creates tension in the market

Источник: The DairyNews
Earlier it became known that the National Union of Milk Producers Soyuzmoloko sends appeals to manufacturers of plant-based products, urging them to refrain from using dairy names on packages and labels of their goods. Mikhail Mishchenko, Director of Dairy Intelligence Agency, presented his view of the situation in a short conversation with The DairyNews.

Mikhail, why has Soyuzmoloko taken up this issue so zealously right now?

- I think that Soyuzmoloko is simply fulfilling its function. It can be assumed that some members of this organization insist that the Union deal with this.

In that case, in your opinion, why do "some members of this organization" insist on this? What drives them? Competition?

- Frankly speaking, this is a kind of hype. Perhaps someone is losing their sales, someone is afraid of losing them. In addition, it seems to me that now, on the whole, another obscurantism is taking place at the state level, there is a trend that something needs to be fought against. Now there is no logical reason to raise this topic. This is an information war, I would say so. Moreover, they seem to have won falsification, as they say, accordingly, they are now fighting against plant-based food products now.

Does it mean that the issue of falsification is solved?

- Let's reformulate and ask other questions. Why is no one fighting milk-containing products with a milk fat substitute? Why are milk-containing products with a milk fat substitute present in the technical regulations? Why does Tula Dairy Plant produce the "world-famous Gruyere cheese"? As you know, the factory imports some raw materials fr om Switzerland, packages it and calls the cheese "Gruyere". Isn't this a falsification? Why is it possible to produce milk-containing products with a milk fat substitute, these products are sold as cheese, is this normal?

What position do you consider sound in the question of "the inadmissibility of such terms" concerning plant-based products with the names "soy milk", "almond milk"?

- I believe that Soyuzmoloko is engaged in useless work, which creates tension in the market, creates the illusion of action.

I will explain why it is useless. You come to a coffee shop, order a Cappuccino, the waiter asks you: "What kind of milk do you want?" And no matter what Soyuzmoloko, the Ministry of Agriculture, the State Duma and even the President decides - the waiter will ask the question exactly this way, and not otherwise!

Therefore, in my opinion, all these appeals from Soyuzmoloko to manufacturers of plant-based products are just a thoughtless waste of time, effort and money, creating tension wh ere it should not be.

That is, the word "milk" is not patented by the dairy industry?

- Let's take coconut milk, it's always been called that, so what? The word "milk" has many meanings. By the way, the cosmetic industry produces facial milk…



30.01.2024
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