FAS Begins Price Check on Bread and Margarine

The St. Petersburg branch of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS), on behalf of the central office, has begun checking bread prices. The agency will examine the validity of wholesale prices for the most demanded types of bakery products.

At the same time, FAS has sent requests to the largest margarine producers located in 16 regions of the country. The list includes companies from Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Sevastopol.

As part of the bread check, the financial and economic indicators of producers of products from wheat and rye-wheat flour, as well as their sales organizations, for 2025 will be analyzed. If violations are found, the antimonopoly agency will take appropriate measures.

Margarine producers will be required to provide detailed information on production volumes and sales of consumer and industrial margarine for 2025. Also needed are data on production costs, wholesale prices, and profitability of sales.

Separately, FAS will request explanations if wholesale prices for margarine have been increased since the beginning of 2026. If signs of unjustified price inflation are detected, antimonopoly response measures will follow.

Against this backdrop, it is noted that margarine has risen in price by 15% over the past year. Industry experts attribute the price increase to several reasons:

• increase in markup by retail chains;
• growth in demand for margarine from the food industry;
• some consumers switching from butter to margarine for economy reasons.