Adulterated dairy products a major concern in Russia

Unscrupulous dairy companies are managing to offer their products at a price of 30-40% below the market average. Photo: Canva

In 2023 and 2024, the share of dairy products produced with non-dairy ingredients on Russian grocery shelves jumped by 20-30%, a study conducted by the Russian consumer protecting organisation Public Control showed.

The hike in the volume of these products is largely attributed to a halt in business inspections imposed by the Russian government in March 2022 for an indefinite period.

“Many manufacturers perceive this as the removal of additional barriers to quality control of food products,” Vsevolod Vishnevetsky, chairman of the St. Petersburg branch of Public Control, said in an interview with a local news.

As an example of adulterated products, the organisation notes the case of Balakovo Dairy Plant, which was found to replace milk fat in dairy products with fats of non-dairy origin. The change was not reflected on the product label.

Unfair competition

The problem has been a persistent issue for the Russian dairy market. Reports about mass fraud in the dairy market began to surface in the country following the introduction of the 2014 food embargo by the Russian government. The decision that effectively removed European dairy products from the local market. According to Public Control, this remains a potent threat to honest dairy manufacturers.

Vishnevetsky estimated that due to this, unscrupulous dairy companies are managing to offer their products at a price of 30-40% below the market average.

The Balakovo Dairy Plant’s products, in particular, are widely present in the market of St. Petersburg and are offered at prices significantly lower than those of local companies. These products include a range of dairy items such as milk, cheese and yogurt, all of which have been found to contain non-dairy fats.

“According to all the laws of mathematics, dairy products that have travelled almost 2,000 kilometres to the [Russian] northern capital cannot cost significantly less than products from a local manufacturer, unless they have been adulterated,” Vishnevetsky claimed.

Weak control

A part of the problem is that retail chains refuse to adequately react to reports from local consumer-protecting organisations about revealed fraud practices. Russian NGOs called on the authorities to tighten liability to combat fraud in the dairy market.

According to Vishnevetsky, the measures taken by state supervision bodies are “extremely ineffective and often formal”. He added: “Only huge fines or the prospect of criminal liability can force crooks to stop deceiving citizens.”