The State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection intensifies the fight against smuggling and gray imports
16 December 2024 10:52
The State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection has announced a sectoral plan for state market surveillance for 2025, which provides for strengthening the fight against gray imports and smuggling. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection .
Deputy Head of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection Andriy Kreitor said that the main focus will be on checking goods that enter the market through informal channels, as well as on improving the monitoring of dangerous products.
“The document calls for tighter control over imported products, in particular, increased inspections of goods entering the market through informal channels. It is also planned to improve the monitoring system and increase the effectiveness of measures to prevent dangerous products from entering the market. Particular attention will be paid to the problem of “gray” imports and smuggling of products that enter the market without proper documentation,” he said.
According to him, the new plan is aimed at preventing goods that pose a risk to consumers from entering the Ukrainian market and at increasing import transparency. Protection of vulnerable groups such as children, pregnant women and the elderly remains a priority.
The plan was developed based on data from the international RAPEX system, which informs about dangerous products, as well as the results of the analysis of consumer complaints. In 2024, the most problematic categories of goods included toys with toxic components, electronic equipment that did not meet standards, and lamps that did not pass safety tests.
The inspections revealed more than 746,000 unsafe lighting equipment and more than 200,000 low-voltage devices that could pose a threat to consumers.
In addition, the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection urges citizens to check the origin of goods and contact the service if they find suspicious products. According to Andriy Kreitor, cooperation with European partners will allow implementing high safety standards and improving supervision mechanisms to prevent dangerous products from entering the Ukrainian market.
