MOSCOW, October 14 - RAPSI, Diana Gutsul. A commercial court postponed until November 9 its hearing of a consumer union's lawsuit against several milk plants on Friday, the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI) reports from the courtroom.

The defendants are the Verkhovsk Concentrated Milk Plant, Alexeyevsk Concentrated Milk Plant, Voskresensk Cannery and Dmitrov Milk Plant.

The lawsuit centers on condensed milk purchases from eight manufacturers for testing for compliance with technical regulations and dye, chemical and preserve agent contents.

A source at the Dmitrov Milk Plant told RAPSI on Friday that the plant disagrees with the claims and alleged that the union has exceeded its powers.

The union maintains that the Е102 and Е110 dyes discovered in some products are hazardous to human health and are prohibited in a number of countries. They claim that the absence of complete and reliable product information on labels is a breach of consumer rights.