Knowing everything about a bioactive supplement that is about to enter the body with food is the dream of any conscious consumer. And while you are reading this proposal, the government is experimenting with labeling dietary supplements in Russia – from May 1, 2021 to August 31, 2022.
What are the prospects for this idea? How will this process affect the fate of the market? Why, finally, have they started talking about the labeling of dietary supplements recently?
We are considering this topic in more detail together with Yuri Zubarev, President of the Eurasian Council of the Specialized Food Industry.
– Yuri, what is the main purpose of labeling dietary supplements and how do you feel about this idea?
– In general, we support the government’s experiment: the labeling of dietary supplements, first of all, makes it possible to protect the consumer. Because the provided electronic system allows people to find out whether the product is legal or illegal. This is a measure to combat counterfeiting and counterfeiting, and quite effective – in Europe, by the way, it is already being used.
– How will the dietary supplements market change if they decide to introduce mandatory labeling?
– That’s what an experiment is needed to understand whether to introduce mandatory labeling or not. How will the consumer behave? How will the manufacturer behave? In any case, transparency in their relationship is always welcome. And of course, the fight against falsification is very important. After all, the dietary supplements market in our country is dominated by counterfeit products, especially when it comes to sports nutrition (everything is clear with children’s and medical nutrition – their quality is very tightly controlled, and the situation with sports nutrition is alarming).
We welcome this idea – when the consumer has the opportunity to track where the product came from, who produced it and what series it is from: the fact is that product series are always designed for a certain number of units of the product – so that, for example, there are no released another five thousand illegally. It is important to “educate” a competent consumer.
It would also be easier for manufacturers, because counterfeit and counterfeit products clog the segment, do not provide an opportunity to trade normally – counterfeiting is always cheaper, and this causes great economic damage to the manufacturer.
– And if you look at it from a different angle: if, nevertheless, mandatory labeling of food additives is NOT introduced – what is the market losing and gaining?
– It is still difficult to talk about this, because we have not yet tested the economic effect. We hope for the purchase – that the quality of the goods will be high thanks to legal producers, and we look forward to fighting illegal suppliers.
In fact, on many discussion platforms – both in the executive authorities and in the legislative – the question of the introduction of criminal liability for violation of the technologies for the production of such products is being raised. And not only in the case when the damage was caused to a specific citizen.
Unfortunately, we do not have such a practice in the field of health care that checks are carried out when a patient is admitted – for example, with poisoning, with liver or kidney pathologies. This means passing all the necessary tests, questioning the patient what drugs he used, so that the causes of the disease can be identified. Although in medical institutions in the United States, such a protocol exists when admitting a patient. I think that in Russia this practice would also be useful – but this is already for reflection in the Ministry of Health, as they say.
– Why, in your opinion, the concept of labeling of dietary supplements has not yet been legally introduced, and they started talking about it recently? Considering that a person runs the risk of ordering a “dummy” from somewhere in the hope that this will help him become healthier.
– Because the concept of dietary supplements, in fact, has existed not so long ago – not even a decade has passed. And, of course, the national legislation did not take all the necessary regulatory measures, since work on customs regulations was recently completed. Now, I hope, in the near future, our State Duma will turn to the issue of national measures to regulate such products.
I know that legislative initiatives have already been submitted to the government this spring, and we, as an Association, will try to remind new elected officials in the State Duma that it is important to carry out this work. Because the norms of the Customs Union are general in nature, and specific issues – for example, about labeling, responsibility, production standards – need to be addressed at the national level.
The dummy part of your question is related to quality control. To date, work is underway, including with marketplaces and online commerce – so that the state regulatory body can “look” into the product and check its quality before the product reaches the end consumer. That is, the so-called experiment on bond warehouses is being carried out. We also welcome him and hope that he will help clear the market of illegal products.
The material was prepared by Alexandra Goryunova