Soyuzmoloko: the share of falsified products in the Russian dairy market has fallen to record lows
According to Maria Zhebit, Director on Public Relations and government agencies of Soyuzmoloko, the industry association annually analyzes the fat balance in the market - comparing the amount of fat in raw milk with the volume of dairy products produced. The market assessment showed that the number of products with incorrect labeling about the presence of milk fat substitutes fell last year to a record low of less than 1%.
Of course, there are categories where the problem is more acute. This is primarily a system of public procurement, where the problem is created by the principle "the winner is the one who supplies the cheapest". In 2020, at the initiative of Soyuzmoloko, a clause on mandatory control purchases of goods during the delivery period was included in standard contracts for deliveries of dairy products under state orders.
‘However, we would like more systematic actions on the part of the supervisory authorities - strengthening the control of suppliers, reviewing the general principles for the purchase of food, which is especially important for schools, kindergartens, and healthcare facilities,’ the expert stressed.
The second weak link, she called non-chain retail, including in localities remote fr om large cities, wh ere control is less severe, and the price factor plays an important role.
The expert believes that the share of products from the "so-called milk powder" on the shelves is unlikely to grow, since reconstituted milk is not in demand. Drinking milk is generally a low-margin product, and in conditions of limited demand, no one will think of raising prices for it without any reason, stressed the representative of Soyuzmoloko. Milk powder into yogurt, for example, is added within the norms of Technical Regulation 033, because it helps to make the product richer in protein.
– As for the products with the legal replacement of milk fat with vegetable fat - products with milk fat substitutes produced using cheese technology, we really predict the growth of this category by the results of 2020, said Maria Zhebit. - The demand may really shift, as such products are cheaper than cheeses made from milk. The forecast for the growth of cheese imports from Belarus can also be justified under the influence of the price environment.
In general, Soyuzmoloko sees the risks of price scissors, when processors cannot raise prices for finished products due to a drop in household incomes, but at the same time the cost of raw materials and finished products increases. In such conditions, both state support and work on their own effectiveness are extremely important.
