Some important updates to Russia dairy serialization were made public on January 13, 2021. The regulations pertain to cheese and ice cream products, as well as products with certain shelf lives.
Supply chain laws governing the country’s National Track and Trace Digital System, which is known as Chestny ZNAK and covers a dozen industries, have been continually tweaked and refined since it was created a little more than three years ago. Let’s take a look at what’s new for the dairy industry.
New rules for Russia dairy serialization
The Russia dairy serialization regulations were put forth in Decree No. 2099 of December 15, 2020; they will go into effect for different products at different times.
The first products to fall under mandatory labeling are cheeses, ice cream, and other edible ice. Companies can begin labeling these goods and transferring data to the Government Information System for Marking (GIS MT), which catalogs all marked goods, as early as January 20, 2021, but they must be registered with Chestny ZNAK to do so.
Mandatory labeling begins for these cheese and ice cream products on June1, 2021. Only serialized products are allowed to be sold after this date. However, products produced or imported into Russia before June 1 may be sold until the product’s expiration date.
Deadlines for cheese and ice cream stakeholders
The Russia dairy serialization regulations for cheese and ice cream products apply to manufacturers, importers, wholesalers, and retailers. Here are the key dates:
- June 1, 2021: Manufacturers and importers must begin labeling and transferring product data to GIS MIT.
- December 1, 2021: All stakeholders must transmit information about the retail sale of goods to Chestny ZNAK. (This occurs via point-of-sale cash registers connected to the internet.)
- September 1, 2022: Using Universal Transfer Documents (UTDs), stakeholders must transmit information on the turnover of goods (including wholesale sales) and the withdrawal of goods.
- December 1, 2023: Unit-level serialization of products with a shelf life of more than 40 days begins. Each product’s unique identification code must be indicated in the UTD.
Labeling of other dairy products with a shelf life of more than/less than 40 days
Manufacturers, importers, wholesalers, and retailers must comply with the Russia dairy serialization regulations for these products, which include the following:
- Milk and cream
- Buttermilk, fermented milk products (e.g., curdled milk and cream, yogurt, kefir (a fermented milk drink)
- Butter and other fats and oils made from milk, milk pastes
- Milk whey and other dairy products not included in other groups
- Dairy products for baby food
- Drinks containing milk fats
Mandatory labeling of products with a shelf life of more than 40 days begins on September 1, 2021. Products with a shelf life of less than 40 days must be labeled beginning December 1, 2021. Only serialized products may be sold after these dates. However, products produced or imported into Russia before these dates may be sold until the product’s expiration date.
Furthermore, for both categories:
- December 1, 2021: All stakeholders must transmit information about the retail sale of goods to Chestny ZNAK. (This occurs via point-of-sale cash registers connected to the internet.)
- September 1, 2022: Using Universal Transfer Documents (UTDs), stakeholders must transmit information on the sale and withdrawal of goods.
And for products with a shelf life of more than 40 days:
- December 1, 2023: Unit-level serialization Each product’s unique identification code must be indicated in the UTD.
Mandatory labeling will not apply to the following products:
- Baby food for children under 3 and specialized dietary therapeutic and preventive food
- Products packed in a non-industrial manner/method in retail organizations
- Products with a net weight of 30 grams or less
- Products produced or imported into Russia as advertising/marketing samples not intended for sale
- Products to be exported outside the EAEU
- Products for sale in duty-free shops
- Products being stored by manufacturers (i.e., not intended for distribution)
- Products acquired under a transaction, information about which constitutes a state secret
Final thoughts
As the leader in Russia dairy serialization solutions, rfxcel knows the regulations can be a challenge to decipher. To help, we offer useful resources online, like this refresher course and white papers and webinars that explain the requirements.
These are great places to start, but the best way to ensure you’re prepared to comply with Russia dairy serialization is to talk with us directly. Consider our credentials:
- We’re an official integration, software, and tested solution partner with the CRPT.
- We’ve demonstrated that our solutions, including our signature rfxcel Traceability System (rTS) and Compliance Management (rCM), can meet the stringent Russia dairy serialization requirements and ensure you stay compliant.
- rTS works seamlessly with Chestny ZNAK, including a Russian-language user interface that makes integration and startup much quicker.
- We’ve prepared for Russia dairy serialization and Chestny ZNAK since 2018.
- We’re one of the few providers with active implementations in Russia.
- We’ve tripled our workforce in Russia over the last year. Our team in Moscow provides our clients, which include major global consumer goods and pharmaceutical companies, the quickest time to market while fully automating their compliance reporting.
Contact us today learn more about how we can help you with Russia dairy serialization and Chestny ZNAK compliance. No matter how far along you are in your preparations to comply, you should talk to us — even if you’re already working with another provider. Our powerful software ensures companies in any industry remain compliant with the complex regulations.
