Denis Ternovskiy: “Mandatory GOST can make food prices fairer, but control is paramount”

"If there is no regulation, vendors of quality and low-quality products sell them at the same price. And since quality products are more expensive to produce, their production becomes unprofitable. As a result, the consumer gets cheap goods at the price of expensive ones," emphasized Denis Ternovskiy.

The expert believes that the strengthening of control can raise prices for cheap goods but will have little effect on the prices of quality products. He also added that in a positive scenario, the assortment may decrease, but prices will become fairer, and consumers will have less chance to buy low-quality products at the price of good ones.

Nevertheless, Denis Ternovskiy emphasized the importance of effective control over the implementation of the new requirements. “The main risk of such changes is control over implementation,” the expert noted, warning that if inspections affect only honest producers and unscrupulous ones remain in the shadows, the situation with the availability of quality food may worsen.