Quality of food products in Russia improves
GORKI. September 22. KAZINFORM The quality of food products in Russia has improved, Gennady Onishchenko, the chief sanitary inspector of the Russian Federation, told the conference on financial stability of the agro-industrial complex President Dmitry Medvedev convened. "To hear you say so is very gratifying," Medvedev said; Kazinform refers to Itar-Tass.
Onishchenko made assurances that experts of the Federal Service for the Protection of Consumer Rights and Human Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor) make over three million checks of food products a year, and the checks show the quality of food products improves.
Onishchenko said pullet breasts, fish, meat, dairy products and baby foods are the indicators. "Russia's dependence on imports of pullet breasts now decreases, and this is good for the population's health," Onishchenko said.
He asked the head of state to give attention to the need to modernize baby foods production. "Special programs were adopted in 70 Russian regions, but this does not mean that all problems have been solved," he said.
The chief sanitary inspector pointed to the need to harmonize the standards of products quality with the European Union's requirements. "This means the need not just to change requirements for norms but also to reequip laboratories and modify production technologies," he said.
The chief sanitary inspector is pleased with the increase in the number of citizens' complaints over products quality. "This means people become more knowledgeable in legal matters," he said. He cited the example of the numerous lawsuits brought against the Yakutian dairy factory the consumption of whose products caused cases of food poisoning this year.