The Rosselkhoznadzor report on product inspections caused skepticism among the residents of Kabardino-Balkaria.

In the butter sold in Kabardino-Balkaria, vegetable fats were found, and its composition does not comply with GOST, reported specialists from the quality assessment center subordinate to the Rosselkhoznadzor. Residents of the republic, commenting on this report on social media, stated that counterfeit products on the shelves have long been no surprise to them. They also criticized the work of the regulatory authorities and doubted that the problem is limited to just one type of product.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", there have been multiple mass poisonings in Kabardino-Balkaria, including in educational institutions. For instance, in January 2025, after a stay at the "Mayak" sanatorium in Nalchik, a group of children was hospitalized with symptoms of intestinal infection, after which Rospotrebnadzor suspended the sanatorium's operations.

Specialists from the chemical-toxicological research department of the branch of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Quality Assessment Center of the Agro-Industrial Complex" in Kabardino-Balkaria examined a sample of butter. The analysis revealed non-compliance with GOST requirements regarding fatty acid composition, as well as the presence of plant sterols, indicating the presence of vegetable fats, as stated in a message published on September 7 on the center's website.

The use of vegetable fats in the production of butter is unacceptable. A product with a milk fat substitute must have appropriate labeling, and the addition of vegetable oils allows for a reduction in production costs. Information about the identified violation was sent by the specialists of the Quality Assessment Center of the Agro-Industrial Complex to the Rosselkhoznadzor Administration for Kabardino-Balkaria for appropriate action, as stated in the message.

The message about the butter inspection was also published on the Instagram*-page chp.nalchik, which has about 523 thousand followers. As of 11:45 AM Moscow time on September 8, this post received 257 likes and 212 comments.

Users reacted ironically to the discovery of counterfeit butter, stating that this problem has long been known to them. "Wow, they just found out. We have known for a long time," wrote zankishieva_zubaida.

"Really? This has never happened before. The market, the stores are flooded with them, and they just discovered it. What luck..." – sarcastically remarked sveta_313.

"After so many years, they just discovered it?" – asked natyjnie_potolki_737.

Other commentators criticized the work of the relevant agencies and regulatory authorities.

"Nothing will change; they will continue to produce counterfeit products as they have been. And where is the oversight of the republic? Where does all this milk come from for real butter? Where are such large farms in the republic? Don’t tell me you buy from the population and neighboring republics. In the villages, there isn’t enough dairy for locals. There’s no way to buy proper butter for small children in porridge. From birth, they destroy the liver, pancreas, and other organs of children. How long will this continue both in the republic and in the country? When you buy something more expensive, you hope for quality, but it’s the same mess there. Aren’t you ashamed, gentlemen counterfeiters?" – wrote zuhra.saralp.

"Such things are everywhere. Do you think you discovered America? Or are you pretending to work? Then why didn’t you write what kind of butter?" – inquired lgubebovna.

Users also doubted that the identified sample is an isolated case and pointed to a broader problem of dairy product quality. "Almost all products are counterfeit," – stated user s.t.a.777.

"99.9% do not comply with GOST, unfortunately," – believes ivanova.lyudmila1959.

"Yeah... only butter is counterfeit, everything else is natural product. Amazing news for today," – wrote user ssssss____hhhhhhh with irony.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that residents of Kabardino-Balkaria have previously criticized the effectiveness of product quality control. For instance, in July 2019, after 13 violations were identified in the sale of dairy, meat products, and fish at a market in Nalchik, social media users called the inspections by veterinary inspectors ineffective and complained about the lack of proper quality control of products in the city markets.