Valeria Rodina, Executive Director of the Union of Producers of Plant-based Products, commented on the policy that Soyuzmoloko uses to protect dairy products. According to Valeria Rodina, the introduction of new terms for the designation of products can confuse consumers even more, but the development of standards for a new industry is necessary.
As previously reported by The DairyNews agency, Soyuzmoloko sends notifications to plant-based product manufacturers about the inadmissibility of using dairy names to designate their products.
In her comment, Valeria Rodina, Executive Director of the Union of Producers of Plant-based Products, commented:
- I believe that the following letters fr om Soyuzmoloko should be received by all Chinese producers of Milk Oolong tea. After all, without asking their permission, they use "dairy names" on packages and labels of products. According to this logic, the following letters from Soyuzmoloko will be sent to companies that widely produce cosmetics, because they widely use terms such as "cosmetic milk" for the body, "oil" for tanning. I doubt that any of the consumers of such products will confuse something and will use it for other purposes.
According to the expert, the Union of Producers of Plant-based products together with VTSIOM conducted research on the perception of the term "plant-based milk" and "plant-based meat" by Russians. As a result of the survey, it was found that the majority of Russian residents are aware of the origin of plant products. 58% of respondents believe that plant-based meat is made only from plant-based components without the use of animal meat. Similar trends have been identified with respect to plant-based milk. Most respondents are aware of what plant-based products are and understand what they are made from. Thus, the use of the terms "plant-based meat" and "plant-based milk" does not mislead consumers. However, the introduction of some fundamentally new terms into circulation, on the contrary, can make it difficult for the consumer to make a conscious choice of food.
‘We must admit that law enforcement practice does not keep pace with real life,’ the executive director of the Union believes. ‘Today, on the shelves of stores, supermarkets or online platforms, you can see products with names familiar to the consumer, for example, almond milk, plant-based minced meat, plant-based burgers, soy condensed milk, plant-based sausage, etc. However, at the moment there is a regulatory vacuum. It is connected with the fact that there is no codification of plant-based products. Nevertheless, this is an independent group of products, and it requires the definition of subjectivity, the establishment of clear identification features.
According to the expert, "due to the lack of all this," manufacturers have to be guided by the provisions of GOSTR 51074 of 2003. It states that in cases wh ere specific names of food products are not established, they are established by the manufacturer. At the same time, the name should be understandable to the consumer, specifically and reliably characterize the product, disclose its nature, place of origin, and allow distinguishing this product from others.
- Since all the names used today contain either the term "plant-based" or a direct reference to the plant-based product from which the products are made, they cannot mislead the consumer,’ the head stressed. ‘The Technical Regulation of the Customs Union TR CU 033/2013 "On the safety of milk and dairy products", referred to by Soyuzmoloko, applies to milk and dairy products put into circulation in the customs territory of the EAEU. While plant-based products do not apply to the scope of this regulation, and the labeling requirements of TR CU 033 do not apply to "plant-based milk". Plant-based food products that do not contain animal proteins are subject to the technical regulations of the Customs Union TR CU 021 "On food safety". And fully complies with all safety standards of the specified regulations.
The expert believes that the lack of identification requirements for plant-based products causes difficulties in understanding its essence, which is why it is so important to create and develop standards for a new industry. And this process can no longer be postponed.
- Now it is important to take a collegial and balanced approach to this issue and transfer the discussion from the media to an expert platform for making an informed decision involving dialogue and consultations with the professional community inviting all interested parties,’ Valeria Rodina summed up.
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