Rospotrebnadzor issued the first decisions against counterfeiters illegally using organic labeling

In relation to a number of companies labeling their products as organic in violation of the law, Rospotrebnadzor has initiated administrative cases, and fines await falsifiers. The impetus for the proceedings was an appeal to the department of the National Organic Union, which protects the rights of organic producers. As noted in the Union, these are the first steps: the fight against counterfeiting on the organic shelf will continue.

STANDART LLC and Avangard LLC will be fined. As confirmed during the inspections carried out by the regional departments of Rospotrebnadzor, these companies supplied products labeled as organic, but not organic, to retail chains.

Back in the fall of 2020, the National Organic Union began to receive complaints from consumers and organic producers that products labeled “organic” were found in stores, while these products were not certified as organic. In particular, they talked about the products of Moskovsky Agroholding (kale curly cabbage), STANDARD LLC (Pure Nature Mild vodka), Avangard poultry farm"(table egg "Organika"), LLC "NASH PLUS" (tomatoes). “We have decided to start active work with violators so that counterfeit products do not appear on the shelves. Such facts also discredit the Russian law on organics, which came into force in 2020, organic products and their producers, mislead retailers and consumers, and prevent honest organic producers from promoting their products. We, as the authors of the law, want it to be fully implemented. The verification mechanisms are not working yet, so we, together with retail chains, have joined this work, but it’s time to involve Rospotrebnadzor, whose functions include monitoring compliance with the law,” emphasizes Oleg Mironenko, Executive DIRECTOR of the National Organic Union.

In November 2020, the National Organic Union sent letters to violating companies stating that their actions violated Federal Law 280 "On Organic Products", but these messages were ignored. Then the NOS sent an official request to the HEAD of Rospotrebnadzor Anna Popova with a request to look into the situation. “A manufacturer that positions its product as different from ordinary industrial agricultural products must mark it with a single design mark. But he receives the right to label only in the case and from the moment of entering information about himself as a producer of organic products, types of organic products produced and other information established by Article 6 of the Federal Law "On Organic Products" in the unified state register of producers of organic products.

“Working with Rospotrebnadzor brought the desired effect. The department is involved in this work. Instructions were given to the regional departments of the department to check the facts,” notes Oleg Mironenko.

As a result, at the end of May, the National Organic Union received an official response from Rospotrebnadzor. According to the head of the Sanitary Inspection Department of the department, I. G. Shevkun, in relation to the products of STANDART LLC and Avangard LLC, during the control and supervisory activities, the facts stated in the complaint of the NOS were confirmed. The Office of Rospotrebnadzor for the Nizhny Novgorod Region initiated an administrative offense case against STANDART LLC under part 3 of Article 15.12 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, the Office of Rospotrebnadzor for the Republic of Mordovia against Avangard LLC - under part 1 of Article 15.12 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, in both cases the materials were sent to COURT to take administrative action.

Illegal products will be removed from the shelves, and violators will face fines. It should be noted that, according to the specified articles of the law, the production of products without labeling or the application of information in violation of the established procedure entails a fine of 5 to 10 thousand rubles for officials and from 50 to 100 thousand rubles for legal entities with confiscation of objects of an administrative offense. And the production of alcoholic products with violations of the rules for applying labeling and information is punishable by a fine of 10 to 15 thousand rubles in relation to officials, and legal entities are punished by a fine of 100 to 150 thousand rubles with confiscation of products.

The rest of the offenders are still being worked on. Information on newly received complaints to the NOS will also be sent to Rosprirodnadzor: the fight against counterfeiting will be intensified. “We constantly receive requests from retailers about the misuse of organic labels by unscrupulous manufacturers. We will carefully monitor the situation, involve all participants in this work in cleaning store shelves from counterfeit products,” emphasizes Oleg Mironenko.