MOSCOW, November 2 (RAPSI) – The Moscow Commercial Court has imposed a fine of 1 million rubles ($15,500) on retail giant Auchan for violations concerning quality specifications of products, RAPSI reports from the courtroom on Monday.

The court thus granted a lawsuit filed by the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision (Rosselkhoznadzor).

In July, federal service officials accused Auchan of fraudulently extending the shelf life of frozen meat, tampering with price stickers during storage, processing and sales, and that this was a threat to consumers. Federal service experts inspected hypermarkets in Moscow, and in the Moscow and Tula regions.

During the inspections, it was established that frozen beef with expiration dates of just 24-48 hours was delivered from the Auchan distribution center to the retail stores. Once there, the meat was allegedly chopped into pieces, with salespersons listing expiration dates 48-72 hours beyond those on the pricing stickers.

The service claimed that Auchan is misleading consumers regarding food shelf life by falsifying expiration dates. Federal service officials banned the sale of 246.3 kilograms of these meat products.

Moreover, Auchan was found guilty of violating veterinary-sanitary regulations for biological waste collection, recycling and disposal.

The retailer has denied all charges.