Starting January 1, 2027, government agencies will receive more data on pricing for socially important foods. Antonina Levashenko, Head of the International Best Practices Analysis Department at the Gaidar Institute, spoke to NEWS.ru about the work of a new mechanism and whether it will directly impact food prices.
According to the economist, monitoring itself does not imply fixed prices or direct administrative influence on the market. Its purpose is to provide the government with a more complete picture of how product prices are formed at all stages: from the manufacturer to the retail store.
"This mechanism will probably not have a direct impact on prices, since it primarily involves collecting and analyzing data on food markets. However, it will allow government agencies to understand the stage, where price increases occur, i.e., at the producer, the intermediary, or the retail chain." This will make it possible to more accurately identify the causes of price increases and choose appropriate responses. For example, if the price increase is due to an objective growth in the costs of raw materials, fertilizers, packaging, or logistics, that is one scenario." If monitoring reveals signs of unjustified overpricing or anticompetitive behavior, the FAS will be able to more accurately determine what measures are needed and where. In other cases, the data obtained can help the Ministry of Agriculture assess the supply situation and identify production support measures," explained Antonina Levashenko. She noted that such monitoring systems are also used internationally. Collecting data on prices and the state of agricultural and food markets allows the government to better understand ongoing processes and respond to changes more promptly.