Rosstandart is ready to change the requirements for packaging due to the shortage of ink from Russian manufacturers, which arose as a result of anti-Russian sanctions. Due to changes in requirements, familiar information may disappear from product labels: information about the place and production of the product, as well as indications of the expiration date and date of manufacture. It is reported by RBC with reference to the answer of Rosstandart.
The final decision has not yet been made, the representative of the relevant Deputy Prime Minister Victoria Abramchenko said that the business has not yet provided a consolidated position on this issue, the discussion continues. But the problem rests on the need to develop uniform standards throughout the Customs Union and the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which, in addition to Russia, includes Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
However, Rosstandart is sure that there is a way out: for this, manufacturers will need to transfer part of the information from the label to an electronic format, and consumers will be able to familiarize themselves with it using a QR code on the label, but this can only be done from 2023 – from that moment Within the framework of the Customs Union, it is possible to change the technical regulations.
To approve concessions for Russian business, it is necessary to make changes not to Russian labeling standards, but to the unified technical regulation of the EAEU "Food products in terms of their labeling." At the same time, the regulatory body of the EAEU – the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) – turned out to be completely unaware of Russia's desire to make changes.
After the start of the war against Ukraine, a significant number of foreign companies left Russia that supplied packaging or were involved in related industries, for example, they produced and designed packaging for goods of Russian manufacturers. The most striking example is Tetra Pak, whose exit from the Russian market forced Russian businesses to start saving on packaging and rebuild production chains. The lack of colors forced manufacturers to make the packaging "minimalistic", removing, for example, the design of juices and drinks.