What Russians should know about mandatory labelling
Experts explain how to make sure that the purchased shoes are not fake
The deadline for entering into force of the requirements for mandatory labeling of each pair of shoes was moved to July 1, although the procedure formally started on March 1, but the industry was not ready. Now you can produce and import these products without a special code until July 1. The companies will have the opportunity to mark the shoes imported into the country after July 1, but purchased before this date, until August 1. In the author's column for Realnoe Vremya, Yulia Rusinova, the director of development of fiscal solutions ATOL, explains what else entrepreneurs engaged in the footwear industry and ordinary customers should know.
Look for the M symbol in the receipts
A receipt from a store is not just a piece of paper, but a serious document that confirms the fact of making a purchase. In the receipt, you can find a lot of information about the seller and products, not only their names, but also their features. Since March 1, a new symbol [M] has appeared in receipts (where the product has already been marked — editor's note), which will help customers make sure that they have purchased an item marked with an identification tool. This symbol is another way to protect consumers from counterfeit products.
According to research company Nielsen, every seventh pack of cigarettes sold in Russia is illegal. The share of counterfeit tobacco products in the Russian Federation in the third quarter of 2019 reached 15,6% of total sales. The figures in the shoe industry are even scarier. According to experts of the National Shoe Union, the share of illegal shoes on the market exceeds 60%. This is why tobacco and footwear became one of the first product categories for which labeling became mandatory. Both product groups can't be sold without codes from July 1. Only for shoes they made an exception, allocating time for marking the remaining items until September 1.
How the marking system works
The marking system provides a complete traceability path from the manufacturer to the buyer. In the special Chestniy Znak system, each of the stages of product transfer to distributors is accompanied by mandatory recording of information in the state information system. All stages of the product movement are under control, starting from its departure from the conveyor: the manufacturer marks the product at the factory, and its transfer to suppliers is recorded in the electronic document management system.
When selling a product at a retail point, the cashier reads the marking code and informs the system that the product is out of circulation. The data is recorded in the above-mentioned system. IT companies help manufacturers and retailers in this process, which create convenient solutions for passing all these stages.
Why marking is useful
Labeling is a powerful tool for national and state control of the legality of goods on the market. Even before making a purchase, a person can read the marking code from the package using a smartphone and see the entire path of the product from the factory to the store. You can do this using the Chestny Znak app. The marking code is a Data Matrix barcode that can be easily read by almost any smartphone. If the data does not match and you understand that you are holding in your hands or have purchased a fake, you can complain about an unscrupulous seller directly in the app.
After making a purchase, you can make sure that you purchased a marked product by examining the receipt. Next to the commercial position of the mandatory labeling there must be printed in the symbol [M], for this, this seller needs to update the firmware of their cash.
You can also check this purchase in the FTS app, which is called 'Checking the cash receipt'. To do this, you only need to scan the QR code from the receipt.
The state, represented by Rospotrebnadzor, has received an additional tool for controlling entrepreneurs and the goods they sell. This applies not only to domestic products, but also to imports. You will not be able to import an unmarked product, since the Federal Customs Service in its declaration, which is submitted for customs clearance of cargo, requires the indication of marking codes and can carry out random checks. Besides, information from the declaration and system data are integrated, which allows verification. It turns out that the system affects all stages of passing the product, and taking into account the checks and if customers want to see that they are purchasing the “right” product, the system will work the same not only in Moscow but also in other cities.
Labeling is primarily intended to reduce the share of counterfeit goods on the market, as well as to provide consumers with quality products. Labeling helps make the market more transparent, protects against unscrupulous suppliers, and gives way to honest manufacturers.