The Ministry of Trade and Integration has announced the update of the national standard related to trade. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.
For the first time, the standard distinguishes between the concepts of "wholesale supplier of socially significant food products" and "inefficient intermediary".
In particular, a wholesale supplier is defined as an entrepreneur or legal entity that purchases goods from the manufacturer and resells them with additional costs.
An inefficient intermediary is defined as a business entity that does not provide specific services related to the delivery of goods but is engaged only in reselling them.
"According to paragraph 4.4 of the standard, only wholesale suppliers that create added value through real costs may participate in the supply chain of socially significant food products. The participation of inefficient intermediaries who do not provide any specific services in such a chain is not allowed," ministry experts say.
The main goal of the updated standard is to ensure transparency of food prices, develop fair competition, and reduce unnecessary intermediaries on the path of goods from producer to consumer.
As a result, it will be possible to curb unjustified price increases for socially significant food products, improve the efficiency of the supply system, and protect the interests of producers and consumers.