The Consumers Union of the Russian Federation (CURF), responding to the suggestion by the Aluminium Association, has compared the geometric parameters of the rolls of aluminium foils sold in retail shops with the declared parameters indicated on the packaging of the product. During the test, from March to July 2020, 33 brands of aluminium foil used for household purposes were examined; different brands were of different thickness, length, and width. Two samples were taken of each brand.
As part of the test, aluminium foil of various brands was purchased in major retail stores of Moscow and Saint Petersburg. The samples were anonymized and encrypted and were then sent to an accredited test laboratory. The measurements of the correspondence of the aluminium foil to the declared parameters (length, width and thickness) were conducted in FBU (Federal State-Funded Institution) Test-Petersburg using all necessary technical means in accordance with international standards GOST 32582-2013 "Smooth aluminium foil for household use in rolls for packaging of food products. Technical Specifications" and GOST 745-2014 "Aluminium foil for packaging. Technical Specifications".
According to section 3.2.1 of GOST 32582-2013, the maximum permissible deviation in terms of length of the foil in the form of rolls amounts to ±5% (i.e. in the case of declared length of 10 m the actual length may fall within the range from 9.5 m to 10.5 m), and according to section 3.1 of the said standard, the permissible deviation in terms of width may not exceed ±1 mm, and for thickness the maximum deviation must not exceed ±0.001, ±0.002 or ±0.003 mm (depending on the thickness of the foil in the roll).
The study has shown that among 33 brands of foil only 18 comply with all of the declared parameters, out of which 13 are produced by OOO RUSAL Sayan foil (brands: Econta, "Every Day", TM "ARO", "365 Days", "LENTA", "PROSTO", Madam Povari, "BILLA Foil", "All you need for you home"), four brands made by OOO Biosfera Polymer (MT "BonHome", "Prosto Azbuka"), and one product made by ARM-Grupp ("Vkus Vill").
The remaining 15 brands produced by three companies do not comply with one or more declared parameters. To this category belong all ten brands of foil made by OOO Introplastika (brands: "To chto nado", "Year-Round", "Easyday", "Your Choice", "Globus"). Out of these, five do not match the declared width, three – length and width (length deviation of up to minus 20%), two – width and thickness.
Also, all four brands of foil made by OOO Krokus Grupp belonging to O'kay brand do not match the declared parameters: three – in terms of length, one – in terms of length and width.
And the rolls of foil produced by OOO ALFOIL 2008 of AZUR brand are almost two times shorter than the length declared by the manufacturer. It should be noted that in eight cases the text on the product did not include any information about the thickness of the foil, which affects one of the most important characteristics of this product – it is strength.
Giving commentary on the obtained results, the chairman of the Consumers Union of the Russian Federation Pyotr Shelisch said: "We attach great importance to the initiative of the Aluminium Association of conducting an independent survey of the compliance of the consumer properties of aluminium foil, which is a mass-market product and is used for packaging food products in household environment, to the properties declared by the products' manufacturers. The survey has demonstrated that in this products' market the consumers need to be protected from fraud, and the producers require protection from unfair competition. We urge the consumers to consider the results of this survey when they shop for aluminium foil in the retail stores. We call upon the Aluminium Association to give its opinion on the ethics of the business of those who misinform their customers, and we call upon Rospotrebnadzor (federal service for consumer rights protection) to use its powers to cleanse the market of the products of inferior quality and from their rogue suppliers.
The consumers' control over the quality of the products on sale is an indispensable attribute of the civilized market and is provided for by the law "On the protection of the right of the consumers". The survey conducted by the Consumers Union is one of effective tools enabling this control. The Consumers Union are hopeful that this survey will draw the attention of the regulatory bodies to the cases of violations of consumer's rights and will convince the consumers and the retail that it is more rewarding to choose trusted brands. For the producers, this survey will serve as a warning, that one must observe the compliance with the declared consumer properties of the goods.
Based on the results of the survey the Consumers Union of the Russian Federation and the Aluminium Association joint letters have been sent to the manufacturers whose samples do not match the declared parameters, as well as the letters to major retailers, to Rospotrebnadzor and to the consumers rights protection associations, to make sure that they take measures to prevent misinformation and unfair competition.
The results of the survey of aluminium foil in the form of rolls are available bothhere and on the website of the Consumers Union of the Russian Federation.
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
The aluminium foil whose production first started at the beginning of the 20th century came as a replacement for tin foil – the packaging material that was popular at the end of the 19th century. Aluminium foil possesses a unique blend of properties – it is impermeable, light, strong and safe for food and environment; these properties allowed the aluminium foil to become one of the most popular packaging materials globally. Aluminium foil is used for packaging of food products both at food plants and at home.