The Ministry of Industry and Trade did not support the establishment of a single price format for weight goods in Russia

The Ministry of Industry and Trade did not support the establishment of a single price format for weight products. This was announced by Deputy Minister Roman Chekushov in a reply to the head of the State Duma Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans Affairs Yaroslav Nilov.

In early November, the deputy appealed to the Minister of Industry and Trade Anton Alikhanov with a request to establish for retail chains and stores a mandatory indication of the total weight of the goods — in grams or kilograms. As reported by Izvestia, today in retail facilities prices for weight goods, such as cheeses, fruits, vegetables or sweets, are indicated in different ways: per 1 kg or per 100 g. Different units of measurement are often set for the same category, the deputy emphasizes.

"This practice leads to inconveniences for buyers when comparing prices, makes it difficult to choose the most advantageous offer and, as a result, can lead to unjustified expenses," the documents say.

"The legislation provides for informing consumers about the cost, purchase conditions and weight (volume) of goods, which allows them to make an informed choice when purchasing goods. Also, according to clause 4 of the Rules for the sale of goods under a retail sale agreement, when a seller sells goods that can be measured, the seller must use measuring instruments that are in good working order and comply with the requirements of legislation on ensuring the uniformity of measurements," the Deputy minister said in a reply to Nilov, which is available to Izvestia.

It also states that if the seller sells goods whose price is determined based on the price per unit of measurement set by the seller, measuring instruments that are in good condition and comply with the requirements of the legislation of the Russian Federation on ensuring the uniformity of measurements must be installed at the point of sale in an accessible place in order for the consumer to verify the correctness of the price and measurement of the purchased goods.

"Thus, when weighing goods, the consumer has reliable information that allows him to compare prices for goods of the same category and make an acceptable choice for him," the deputy minister's response says.

Also, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the introduction of any legislative changes requires a detailed justification of such a need with the provision of available scientific, analytical and statistical data indicating the impossibility of resolving the existing problem in any other way.

At the same time, Chekushov said that the Ministry of Industry and Trade does not have factual data and research (including numerous consumer complaints) indicating the need to introduce additional legislative regulation in this area.

The truth is in the price: a single weight unit of goods can be fixed in the rules of trade

The Ministry of Industry and Trade is preparing a reissue of the document, which the State Duma plans to amend on the "fair value" of products.

Oleg Abelev, an economist and head of the analytical department at Rikom-Trust, said on November 11 that it would become easier for Russians to compare the cost of products from different manufacturers if the price per 1 kg was indicated in stores. According to him, it will also simplify cost control and budget planning. However, there is a risk that stores and manufacturers will reduce the range of small and non-standard packages.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.