Russia Considers Banning Ready-to-Eat Food Preparation in Stores

A group of deputies from the ‘Fair Russia’ faction, led by Sergey Mironov, intends to introduce a bill in the State Duma to regulate the activities of retail chains. The document includes a proposed ban on the preparation of ready-to-eat meals directly at retail points. ‘The increasing popularity of combining goods trading with culinary products prepared on-site or sourced from external suppliers entails significant health risks for citizens,’ the explanatory note states, as reported by TASS. The bill also proposes banning the sale of food products with a shelf life of less than 24 hours and setting a limit on retail markups not exceeding 15% of the purchase price. Retail establishments must indicate the production cost on price tags.