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State Duma to Review Retail Ready‑Made Food Rules After Restaurateurs’ Appeal

Restaurateurs argue looser retail standards distort competition.

Overview

  • Duma Chair Vyacheslav Volodin told a plenary session that deputies will study differences between requirements applied to eateries and to stores selling ready‑made meals.
  • The Federation of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers says shop‑sold ready meals are effectively food‑service products but face lighter sanitary, fire‑safety, equipment and premises obligations.
  • The Duma press service said it has not yet received the restaurateurs’ letter reported by media, creating a factual discrepancy over the appeal’s formal submission.
  • Retail association AKORT called full alignment with restaurant rules excessive, citing existing GOST norms and a new trade‑terminology standard taking effect on December 1, 2025.
  • Moscow restaurant ombudsman Sergey Mironov estimates the ready‑made food market at 1.5 trillion rubles in 2025, about 50% above 2024, and notes eateries are losing customers to supermarkets.