OREANDA-NEWS. October 21, 2014. Majority of complaints were received from Moscow and the Moscow region. The smallest number – just a single complaint each from Chechnya, Dagestan, Tuva and the Magadan region; all of them concern increased poultry prices.

The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia) summed up the results of the hot line opened on its official web-site and the web-site of 84 regional Offices two months ago – on 14 August 2014 after banning import of food products from the USA, the European Union, Canada, Australia and Norway.

During this period, FAS received 2169 complaints from individuals and business, practically all of which – 2040 – concern increased retail prices for food products.

Complaints came from all provinces but most of them – from Moscow and the Moscow region (648 petitions), St Petersburg and the Leningrad region (160 petitions) and the Krasnodar region (81 petitions).

Since the first days of opening the hot line till present most of complaints are about poultry – 511, of which 112 are from Moscow and the Moscow region. Fruits and vegetables are on the second position (380 complaints, of which 169 from Moscow and the Moscow region). The third place is shared between beef and pork (228 and 175 complaints accordingly). Individuals also complain about increased prices for milk and dairy products (316), sausages (86) and fish (34).

FAS received 129 complaints on increased wholesale prices. The situation is slightly different. Most of complaints concern growing fish prices – 43 complaints. Poultry is on the second position– 25 complaints; on the third, similarly to the retail sector – pork (20 complaints).

“FAS monitoring shows that wholesale ex-works prices for the socially important food products under ban started stabilizing since the end of September, and prices for some of them went down, which resulted in reducing the number of complaints in the wholesale segment”, said Deputy Head of the FAS Department for Control over Agro-Industrial Complex, Irina Yepifanova. “Complaints on retail prices continues but not to such an extent”.

Complaints resulted in numerous unscheduled on-site and documentary inspections across Russia. Should elements of violating the antimonopoly law be revealed, FAS shall undertake revenant remedies.FAS already initiated three cases on the poultry market – in the Stavropol and Promorie regions and in Crimea.