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Georgia is set to implement new regulations for the labeling and sale of dairy products containing vegetable fats starting January 1, 2027. The government decree dated September 4, 2026, amends the existing Technical Regulation to ensure consumers cannot mistake imitation products for natural dairy items.
The central requirement involves product packaging: any milk-containing product blended with vegetable fat must feature a prominent red-and-white oval pictogram in the primary visibility zone. This measure is specifically designed to eliminate the need for shoppers to scrutinize small-print ingredient lists to identify product composition at the point of sale.
Retailers are also required to physically separate these items from natural dairy products on store shelves, banning joint displays. Giorgi Khabashvili, general director of the Goodwill retail chain, noted that this shift will not incur significant costs for stores, as separating plant-based analogs from pure milk products is already a de facto market standard in many outlets.
Industry reactions to the mandate are divided. Nikoloz Beniadze, founder of the Shiraki company, supports the strict labeling, arguing that many consumers currently purchase goods containing 'unclear fats' without checking the ingredients. Conversely, the Milk Producers Association warned against attempts to 'artificially scare' consumers, emphasizing that the presence of vegetable fat does not inherently make a product harmful and that labeling should remain purely informational.
This move continues a long-term trend of tightening controls on Georgia's food market. Previous regulations banned the use of the term 'dairy product' for goods containing any percentage of vegetable fat in 2015, and prohibited labeling products made from dried milk or plant-based substitutes as 'cheese' in 2017.
Source: PravdaReport