New amendments to the standardization law may make GOSTs mandatory for food producers.

This bill , prepared by United Russia deputies, was approved in the State Duma on its first reading. Supporters of the bill argue that the requirements of the TU and STO should not degrade product quality or conflict with GOST standards.

To prevent a decline in the overall quality of food products, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has called for compliance with GOST standards to be made mandatory, in contrast to the current practice, where it is merely a voluntary recommendation. Experts emphasize that in most cases, when GOST standards are followed, products meet the established requirements, while technical specifications are often ignored in 60-80% of cases.

However, several food producer associations, such as Soyuzmoloko and Rusprodsoyuz, have appealed to the Ministry of Agriculture to oppose these amendments. They argue that the industry already has mandatory technical regulations in place, which virtually all food products comply with, but not all of them comply with GOST standards. This is a consideration for new products, which are developed significantly faster than existing standards can be revised.

The issue was also raised that the wording regarding "deterioration" and "contradiction" is vague and could negatively impact the production of sports and functional nutrition, as well as the industry of farm products created according to individual recipes, the quality of which is sometimes superior to similar products produced according to GOST standards.