Tuna With a QR Code: How Digital Labeling Protects Against Counterfeits

Digital Oversight From Factory to Shelf

Russia has launched a pilot program for digital labeling of packaged semi‑finished and frozen food products—including fish—starting November 24, 2025. The experiment, running until August 2026, covers a wide range of goods: mushrooms, berries, poultry and frozen fish products. Participation is voluntary, but historically every category tested in such pilots eventually becomes subject to mandatory labeling.

The goal is clear: expand mandatory digital identification to new sectors. Products labeled with unique digital codes are entered into the national track‑and‑trace system known as Chestny Znak, which guarantees their authenticity and legality. This marks another step in Russia’s digital transformation of its food sector, creating end‑to‑end visibility from production lines to retail shelves.

Consumer Protection and Industry Growth

Digital labeling requires specialized equipment for applying and scanning codes—at factories, warehouses and retail points. This stimulates the development of Russia’s IT and hardware ecosystem.

For consumers, labeled goods mean protection from counterfeits and substandard products. For the state, the system brings tighter industry oversight, a reduced shadow market and higher tax collection.

“Chestny Znak is already deeply integrated with cash registers, warehouses, marketplaces and, most importantly, with the real economy. It doesn’t just control the path from the factory to the shelf—it provides the state with data that was previously impossible to collect in one place. It’s a genuine analytical platform for forecasting and managing entire industries.”

Mikhail Delyagin

Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy

Labeling also strengthens export potential. Since Eurasian Economic Union members require labeling for certain categories, adopting these standards enables Russian goods to compete more confidently on global markets.

Export Focus: A Gateway to Global Markets

Full‑scale labeling of the entire fish category could begin as early as 2027—ushering in broad digitalization across the industry. Labeling is becoming part of a ‘digital export package,’ combining origin data, certifications, environmental metrics and even IoT‑based temperature records from warehouses and refrigerated transport.

In the long term, integration with blockchain could help verify supply chains, a key requirement for markets with strict ESG compliance.

A System Expanding Nationwide

Russia introduced mandatory product labeling in 2016, starting with fur products, followed by tobacco and pharmaceuticals. Today, more than 24 categories are already incorporated into Chestny Znak, including apparel, footwear, wheelchairs, bicycles, dairy products and bottled water.

Between March and October 2025, additional categories were added—from soap and deodorants to motor oils and technical fluids. And since November 2025, the system has been piloting labeling for semi‑finished and frozen foods in consumer packaging.

This expansion demonstrates how Chestny Znak has become a strategic pillar of Russia’s digital economy, reinforcing domestic markets, boosting export capacity and building modern digital infrastructure for food‑chain management.