TEST REPORT ON EXPIRATION DATES

What kind of document is it?

According to Technical regulations of TR CU 021/2011 "On safety of food products", an expiration date is established by the manufacturer. At the same time, the manufacturer should not exceed the storage period determined by state standard specifications on similar products without a valid reason. In order to establish/confirm an expiration date, food products need to be tested. The test report about confirmation of food products’ expiration dates is made after the testing.

What organizations give it out?

The accredited testing laboratories and the centers of quality control, Federal Budgetary Institutions of Health issue this document.

In what cases do you need it?

The manufacturers often face a problem when GOST establishes an expiration date, which happens to be too short, on the type of a finished food product. To prolong this date, it is necessary to provide a valid reason for the extension in an expiration date in the manufacturer’s technical specifications, prepare the test report and carry out the sanitary and epidemiologic examination of a product.

The valid reasons for prolongation of an expiration date are:

• improvement in production technologies;
• introduction of new types of packaging;
• improvement in quality indicators of raw materials;
• strengthening of the sanitary conditions of the production;
• any other innovations applied to this type of product.