More than a quarter of the Russian market of drinking bottled water is fake products, and in some regions the percentage of counterfeits reaches 80%. Such figures on Monday, July 22, during a conversation with President Vladimir Putin, were brought by the head of the Rostec corporation, Sergey Chemezov.

“Oddly enough, the most forged products are water, the drinking water that we buy, which we drink,” Chemezov said.

“The percentage of falsification ranges from 25 to 30 percent (this is average for Russia), and in some regions up to 80 percent. It is imperative to start labeling these products, ”added the general director of Rostec.

According to him, large-scale work is currently being carried out in Russia to introduce mandatory labeling of goods of various types - from food to pharmaceutical products.

“From January 1, 2020, there will be mandatory labeling of all pharmaceutical products. It is important for our population to avoid fraud and to provide quality products for the population ... I think that by the end of the year we will complete the work on labeling dairy products. We are completing all the work together with the Ministry of Agriculture and by the end of the year we will start labeling. Because today we have products that sell a lot of things which is unclear, ”Chemezov said.

The question of the relevance of the introduction of mandatory labeling for water has already been raised in early July, although then it was about mineral water. So, Rospotrebnadzor sent to the Ministry of Industry and Trade a proposal to combat the production of counterfeit products.

"In terms of measures aimed at preventing the production and trafficking of counterfeit mineral water, the CPS has prepared and sent to the Ministry of Industry and Trade a proposal to introduce marking with control (identification) signs of mineral water," the document says.

In turn, the speaker of the Federation Council, Valentina Matvienko, said that counterfeit products account for up to 80% of the Russian mineral water market. She noted that the issue of anti-counterfeiting is controlled by the Federation Council.

“A lot of water of unknown origin. According to experts, up to 80% of the mineral water on the shelves of the stores does not match the name, ”said Matvienko.

  • Vladimir Putin meets with Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov
  • kremlin.ru

"Exclude a fake"

Commenting on the data on the volumes of counterfeit products voiced by Chemezov, State Duma deputy Adalbi Shkhagoshev told RT that parliamentarians are preparing a bill to increase responsibility for the production of low-quality mineral and drinking water.

“We consulted with representatives of associations of water producers, experts to improve legislation in the water sector, held a round table on this topic. In my opinion, for unscrupulous producers of mineral and drinking water should be strengthened responsibility. Regular consumption of poor-quality water has a cumulative effect and damages the health of people, ”said Shkhagoshev.

He stressed that the production of drinking water as one of the most important consumer products must be given special attention.

“By the way, representatives of the industry, with whose participation the round table was held, supported the tightening of sanctions for the production of counterfeit products. Understanding the relevance of this problem, we will continue to study it and prepare a bill that will eliminate the forgery of mineral water, ”the deputy concluded.

Production of poor-quality drinking water should be seriously punished as a crime against human health, says the chief scientific adviser of the state institution Center for Strategic Planning and Management of Biomedical Health Risks of the Russian Ministry of Health, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yury Rakhmanin.

“If a counterfeit is revealed, and it is proven, this is a crime. Water is the main food product by mass, and if it is of poor quality, then it is a crime against a person and his health. There must be harsh punishments, ”the expert said.

The interlocutor of RT noted that in today's realities, when the price of a liter of bottled water is often equal to the cost of a liter of gasoline, it is necessary to carry out a qualitative analysis and impose serious sanctions on enterprises that produce substandard water.

“We need to close enterprises, impose fines, write about this to the prosecutor’s office,” Rakhmanin added.

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  • © Denis Abramov

"We must all pay attention"

In turn, the head of the National Consumer Protection Fund, Alexander Kalinin, told RT that, within the framework of the implementation of the Clean Water for Russia program, samples from 42 industrial enterprises engaged in the manufacture of bottled drinking water were checked.

“We checked 12 enterprises that labeled their water with the wording“ For baby food from the first days of life ”. The experts asked the question how this water is different ... Right there, the producers started up their arms, they say, you do not understand, this is a socially significant product. But if it is supplied for baby food, then taxes are reduced to the level of 10% of the payment to the budget. Very profitable, "- said Kalinin.

According to him, in 2005, after numerous trials, Chief Sanitary Doctor of the Russian Federation Gennady Onishchenko signed an order “On Strengthening State Supervision and Control over the Production and Turnover of Mineral and Drinking Water”.

“What Mr. Chemezov is saying needs to be believed,” the expert noted.

“I think that everyone should pay attention to this: both to the state and civil society structures. In any case, we will pay attention to this, ”Kalinin concluded.