Unilever: If we do not postpone the labeling of ice cream, there will be a shortage in high season
‘We and, I believe, other market participants, will need a serious modernization of the nodes of each production line, which, in turn, will lead to an increase in the overall duration of the project, as well as its cost, - said the expert.
According to her, even if the representatives of the company manage to install such equipment at the factories in time, the quality of the code application will be low. According to the expert, due to humidity and vibration in the production halls, the code will not always be printed correctly. This may affect the further chain of sales, which is unacceptable for any sales leader in the ice cream category.
‘Recently, very often there are comments that a technical solution for applying codes has been found, namely, on the basis of printing houses. However, there is no way to say that the partners were able to adapt so quickly to new ideas and requirements. Of our partner printing houses, no more than 20% confirmed their readiness to implement the project. Not all retail chains, not to mention private points of sale, have the technical capabilities to keep records of the goods sold under the new system,’ said Regina Kuzmina.
In her opinion, this is an additional risk for all ice cream producers, preventing the full readiness of enterprises to launch the project on June 1, 2021.
The expert believes that a similar situation is typical not only for ice cream makers, but also for most representatives of the dairy industry. Therefore, according to Regina Kuzmina, there is a high probability that in high season, consumers will face a shortage of ice cream, if the timing of implementation remains the same.
‘At the same time, we have recently begun to receive additional requirements from retail chains to stop the supply of unlabeled products after June 1, 2021. This goes against the requirements of the legislation that we can still sell unlabeled products produced before the start of the project, before the end of its shelf life,’ concluded Regina Kuzmina.
