WHAT ELSE FOR FAKE PRODUCTS?
Several years ago in Russia it was forbidden to indicate names on the label that do not correspond to the product and GOST according to which it was made. For example, now on spreads it is impossible to write the word “butter” and even “butter”. And this was done because the market was simply overwhelmed with counterfeits, and consumers massively complained that they seemed to be buying oil … but it turned out to be not oil at all.
However, manufacturers are not so simple as to honestly write the whole truth on the label. After all, you see, no one will buy the same spread if it is written in capital letters. Therefore, companies began to write on the labels what is close to our hearts and brings back pleasant memories or taste sensations.
I will call these products fake. Not because they are bad, but because they are trying to pass themselves off as something they are not.
The products below are not provided for advertising purposes or to criticize their taste or other properties, but solely for the sake of example of the contents of the labels.
1. CREAM OIL
Butter producers are, perhaps, in first place for fake names. Surely, on the shelves you have come across the names "peasant", "farmer", "Vologda" … but without the word "butter at the end". Alas, these are all spreads containing vegetable fats.
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Do not trust the shiny round pieces of GOST, real butter must contain the word “butter” on the package. Otherwise, such a manufacturer may be sued.
2. CONDENSED MILK
If after reading this article you go to some large hypermarket, then you will be very surprised that there is almost no “condensed milk with sugar” on the shelves. For the entire counter the size of a wall, well, maybe there are a couple of cans. But "condensed milk" and "boiled milk" will be presented in abundance. What the manufacturer calls "condensed milk" is very different from real condensed milk with sugar, which should contain … only milk and sugar.
Never get fooled by blue and white packaging design. Turn the jar over and read the composition of such "condensed milk". You will surely see that this is a milk-containing product with a milk fat substitute.
Interestingly, the big brands are producing both. For example, the assortment of the well-known company "Glavprodukt" includes whole milk, condensed with sugar, and condensed milk with sugar. And stylistically, the banks are very similar. 3.
STEW
We are used to the word stew. This is used by sellers who do not fit into the framework of the current GOST. The counters are full of canned goods labeled "stew", although the real product should be called "beef stew" or "pork stew" and nothing else. The composition of "stew" contains many more ingredients, in addition to meat and spices. It will contain cereals, soy protein and fat, palm oil. In addition, the mass fraction of meat and fat is likely to be lower than required by GOST.
4. Dairy products
This is where manufacturers have the most real freedom. We can safely say that more than half of the entire counter in the supermarket is fake products that are “mowed” to look like natural ones. Manufacturers are persistently trying to avoid the word “curd” on the packaging and replace it with the word “curd”, “sour cream” with “sour cream” or “sour cream”, they write not “yoghurts”, but “desserts”.
Read more in GROSH magazine: Fake products: how not to be divorced in stores?
Famous all over the country brands Fruttis and Ermigurt present to stores not yoghurts, but “yoghurt products”. Of course, all this is indicated in small print, because we all remember from advertising how tasty and healthy they are. Other manufacturers are replacing the word "yogurt" on the label with adjectives like "tender", "juicy-milky" and so on.
Naturally, all these products differ from the real ones by the presence in the composition of gelatin, thickeners, vegetable fats, stabilizers, milk powder and other substances that should not be there.
The most cunning of all, perhaps, are the producers of glazed curds. Few people know that according to GOST such products can only be called "glazed curd cheese". However, the shelves are full of goods with the name “glazed cheese”. What the filling is made of is indicated on the label in small print. It will not necessarily have anything to do with cottage cheese.
All possible names of dairy products, as well as what they mean by themselves, are listed in the Technical Regulations of the Customs Union TR CU 033/2013. five.
OLIVE OIL
Olive oil is imported, so in Russia it costs several times more than sunflower oil. However, manufacturers and stores practically do not indicate on the packaging, but what exactly are we buying?
In fact, most of the oils that shimmer beautifully in green bottles even labeled Extra Virgin are blends. The mixture consists of two components. The first is refined olive oil, which is made from the pomace left after the first pressing of the olives. Such oil has almost no useful properties, will not add new smells and tastes to the dish. It is only suitable for frying. It is said that in countries where olive oil is produced, it is not used for food, but for technical purposes. This oil is called Pomace oil, “pomass” or “anointing”.
The second component of the mixture is Extra Virgin oil of the first extraction. It has a pronounced taste, bitterness and smell. And this is the healthiest oil worth buying. It is added in small volumes (about 5-10%) to Pomace oil so that it acquires at least some flavor and “olive shade”.
Unfortunately, our retailers do not report all these nuances on the price tag, but the price, as a rule, is equally high for both “mixed oil” and for real “Extra virgin”.
In short, look for any mention of Pomace oil on the packaging. It makes little sense to overpay for such oil, it is better to buy ordinary refined sunflower oil.
6. ICE CREAM
The quality of our ice cream is praised by the Chinese. Well, it is difficult for us to choose a really good and high-quality product from all the variety on the shelves.
The current GOST for milk ice cream No. 31457-2012 establishes three categories of ice cream, depending on the percentage of milk fat: “milk”, “creamy” and “ice cream”. It is important - in none of them is it allowed to replace milk fat with vegetable.
Ice cream in these categories can only be made with milk, cream, sugar, buttermilk, whey, eggs, fruit preparations, juices and a few other ingredients. “Milk fat substitute ice cream” is another product that is classified as dairy products. It is in this formulation that it should be written in the composition. Do not take the word on the front of the label.
Of course, even if you buy not a fake, but a real product, no one guarantees that the content will fully correspond to the declared composition. It may well be that a product with “substitutes” in fact will be better and of higher quality than “natural”. Alas, we have plenty of counterfeits.
AND ONCE …
In Russia there is such an organization as Roskontrol. It is an online publication that verifies the actual properties of the goods declared on the packaging. On the site you can see which goods correspond to the properties declared on the label, and which ones are blacklisted, since an independent examination found in them a total non-compliance of the contents with standards and inscriptions on the packaging.
EKATERINA BYRKOVA