Rosselkhoznadzor estimates adulterated products at nearly 3% of Russian dairy market

KAZAN. June 4 (Interfax) - The share of adulterated products in Russia's dairy market currently stands at around 3%, advisor to the head of the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) Nikolai Vlasov told journalists on the sidelines of the 2nd National Dairy Congress in Kazan on Wednesday.

"The percentage of adulteration has recently dropped significantly. Currently, it's around 3% in my estimation," he said.

As reported, three years ago adulterated products accounted for 30% of the dairy market.

Regarding the meat market, Vlasov said that "pure adulteration" occurs mainly in processed meat products. "And it goes all the way to meat cuts. All sorts of injection practices are flourishing wildly," he said, without specifying the adulteration percentage.

Legislative improvements are needed to change the situation, particularly by expanding Rosselkhoznadzor's authority, he said. "We can't exceed our legal mandate. We can't shut down a [fraudulent] facility ourselves. We must go to court. We file a claim, but the hearing gets scheduled three months later - and during those three months the fraudulent operation continues," Vlasov said.