History and current state of food falsification in Russia

Food falsification has been recognized in Russia as a social problem since the mid 17th century. Historical documents testify to government measures aimed at combating fraud in the food supply industry. The foundation of the first hygienic laboratories made it possible to establish the scale of this phenomenon, collect evidence based on the results of laboratory studies, and develop regulatory documents and production standards that determine the quality and safety of food products for human health. The consequences of manufacturing, selling and consuming counterfeit food products are associated with the risk of losing health, reducing life expectancy, increasing mortality from alimentary diseases and food poisoning. For centuries, there has been an intensified fight against counterfeit products, but the problem is still relevant today. Violations in the food circulation sphere have led to the adoption of legislative and regulatory acts in recent years aimed at improving state policy measures in this area.