Viktor Chirkov, head of the local division of Rospotrebnadzor (the state consumer rights watchdog), responded to questions on consumer rights protection that were posed by the readers of Vecherniy Yekaterinburg newspaper on March 15, 2007. One of the complaints was related to possible violation of sanitary regulations in Yekaterinburg-based Auchan, reports the spokesperson for Rospotrebnadzor in Yekaterinburg.

‘The current legislation prevents us from doing scheduled inspections in Auchan as this food retailer has not been around for two years yet. A customer complaint, however, gives us every reason to do so. So, we shall see how well Auchan has been complying with the sanitary regulations,’ Mr. Chirkov said.