Industrialists demand to increase the shelf life of food in Russia

A letter demanding to influence retailers was received by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Forbes notes. The message was initiated by the Rusprodsoyuz Association of Producers and Suppliers of Foodstuffs, which unites, among other food giants, such as Mistral Trading, Russol, Dymov, Makfa and May.

“They turned to the Ministry of Industry and Trade to give appropriate recommendations to federal retailers,” the report says.

The requirement to increase the shelf life of goods concerns products with a long shelf life.

Now grocery chains accept from suppliers only those goods whose remaining shelf life exceeds 60-65%. So, if the product can be stored for 730 days, then retail chains will not accept it from suppliers from the 439th day until the final date of sale. Meanwhile, on average, such products are sold in networks for 50 days.

Manufacturers require that for goods stored for more than a year, the remaining shelf life for retail should be set at 45%, and for products with a shelf life of up to 12 months - at 50%.

The goods unclaimed by the networks, which have not yet deteriorated, are forced to be disposed of by manufacturers. Earlier, the government proposed canceling VAT on expired products if retailers donate them to those in need as part of the food sharing program. Before this program was in place, it was more profitable for retail chains to simply destroy expired goods instead of giving them away for free to the poor. The reason for this situation was high taxes.