Russia’s Chestny Znak System to Show Product Ingredients and Nutritional Value
Consumers will soon be able to see detailed information about what a product contains directly in a mobile app, with potentially hazardous components clearly highlighted. The technology could also become a foundation for future healthy-eating recommendations.
More Data for Consumers
Russia’s state-run digital product labeling system, Chestny Znak, is set to roll out a new feature called “What’s in the Product.” The section will allow consumers to access information about a product’s nutritional value and composition by scanning its labeling code in the app. The interface will display data on fat content, added sugar, allergens, and food additives, including E-codes. Potentially hazardous components will be visually highlighted using a color scale – red, yellow, and green – depending on the assessed level of risk. The new feature is scheduled to become available in late December 2025.
The functionality has been developed as part of a project led by Russia’s consumer protection watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, with the digital component operated by the Center for Research in Perspective Technologies (CRPT). The solution directly affects how consumption-related information is delivered at scale – from average consumers to people with specific dietary requirements. Its primary impact lies in reinforcing healthier consumption patterns, increasing market transparency, and strengthening consumer rights protections.
The update represents another step in the digital transformation of market quality control and an expansion of the capabilities of an already established labeling infrastructure. Consumers gain a clearer understanding of product composition, reduce risks linked to allergies and unhealthy diets, and improve overall food literacy. At the same time, Russia strengthens its national digital infrastructure for quality control. The initiative could also serve as a reference model for consumer information services in other countries.
New Capabilities Beyond Anti-Counterfeiting
Integrating additional data into the labeling system expands the practical role of digital codes – shifting them from a tool focused mainly on combating counterfeit goods toward a broader mechanism for informing consumers.
The system could become a foundation for interactive healthy-eating recommendations and services built on analysis of product composition data. It also opens up new opportunities to aggregate information and use it for government statistics on the nutritional makeup of entire product categories.
The new functionality is not designed for export, as it is based on Russia’s domestic labeling system and regulatory framework. However, the underlying technological model could be adapted or used as a case study in other jurisdictions.
Mandatory Verification and Standards
Product labeling is one of the key areas in the digitalization of modern industries, and related projects continue to be developed and implemented. Since July 1, 2020, Russia has required mandatory digital labeling of all pharmaceutical products. Each package is assigned a Matrix code, with information transmitted to the Chestny Znak system. The measure is aimed at combating counterfeit medicines and increasing transparency in the pharmaceutical market. The system was later expanded to include light industry goods such as footwear, clothing, and textiles.
As of 2025, Chestny Znak covers dozens of product categories, prevents the circulation of billions of units of unsafe goods, and significantly reduces the share of counterfeit products on the market.
On October 1, 2025, a new stage of mandatory verification of labeling compliance at the retail level came into force, strengthening oversight of digital labeling requirements. By 2027, Russia’s standards agency Rosstandart plans to introduce a unified national standard for digital labeling and product traceability applicable across Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union. This unification is expected to simplify technical requirements and improve interoperability.
Expansion and Integration
The new “What’s in the Product” feature marks a significant step in the evolution of digital labeling services and food quality control for mass consumers. The initiative aligns with broader trends toward market digitalization and greater transparency around product composition.
Over the next one to two years, the range of product categories covered by detailed composition data is likely to expand. Data analytics could also be introduced to generate nutrition recommendations, while integration with other digital health applications and services appears to be a logical next step.
