Gennady Onischenko, Russia's chief sanitary officer, wants to ban procession if frozen meat. If taken, the step will decrease the flow of imported meat into the country, but many domestic producers are not happy with Onischenko's idea, fearing it will be more difficult for them to sell meat.
The Federal Supervision Service for Consumer Rights and Human Welfare, headed by Dr. Onischenko, is soon to introduce new sanitary norms regulating the process and sales of meat products. The document, already signed, says only chilled, but not frozen, meat and poultry can be used for industrial production of food products, such as minced meat, canned meat or sausages, etc. Onischenko has cited "scientific evidence" showing that frozen meat badly affects human health, but did not explain what the exact harm was.
On the one hand, domestic meat producers are pleased with the sanitary officer's plan - the measure will cut import, and it will be easier for Russian meat farmers to sell their product. At the same time, many companies that produce or process meat are alarmed. Meat can only be transported to Russia's Far East and some Northern regions only frozen. "Chilled meat can be stored for no more than five days, and we simply won't make it in time for our clients in distant regions", Irina Rukhadze, CEO of "Kurinoe Tsarstvo" poultry company, has said. Ms. Rukhadze also said there was little difference between products made of chilled or frozen meat. Furthermore, she added, transporting chilled meat is more dangerous from the sanitary point of view.
Dmitry Yanin of KonfOP company thinks some producers may inject chilled meat with chemicals trying to make it last longer, thus endangering the health and eve the lives of consumers. "It already happened in America in early 20th century, and hundreds of people died", he said.
Musher Mamikonyan, President of Russia's Meat Union, is more optimistic. What is important, he believes, is starting to use Western chilling and packing methods, and better working logistics, so that chilled meat would be easy and cheap to bring anywhere across Russia. It will only take some time for all factories to adapt their technology to chilled meat, Mamikonyan said. He also thinks chilled meat can be cheaper because freezing the product requires more electric power. Properly treated and packed chilled meat can be used on 15th or 20th day, he stressed, and some special vacuum techniques allow it to be stored for as much as 100 days.
But shifting to the advanced technology will take nit just time, but investment as well. Mamikonyan said some production facilities "may close" because of the change.
But Yanin also reminded that the practical ban on frozen meat import is a "barrier" against free trade. Onischenko's new regulations may bury Russia's dream to join WTO.
Yekaterina Shokhina
Photo: Comstock complete/ Fotolink
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