The Fallout of Russian Foods

The Fallout of Russian Foods

~Blog Post #4~

20 April 2015

by Ryan Rodriguez

Figures for heart attacks and diabetes suggest it's time that Russians changed their eating habits. With shortages a thing of the past, Russians are now paying more attention to what they eat. Sadly what is offered to Russians is not what they need.

Russians love food and the end of communism has brought them a new products to choose from. Convenience stores sell everything from sausage to sushi, grocery stores offer promotions left and right, and fast food joints can be found on every corner. But there is a catch: 38% of Moscow's population is clinically overweight, and diabetes and heart disease are rampant. Almost half of all deaths in Russia are due to heart attacks, and 37% to strokes. According to the World Health Organisation, 9.6 million people in Russia today are suffering from type 1 diabetes due largely to unhealthy lifestyles.

How Often do Russians Eat Fast-Food?

Forced to deal with the growing health problems, many Russians have started reconsidering what they're eating. Part of the problem stems from the traditional Russian diet. From the Soviet-era to now, fried chicken and chips swimming in oil has been the standard in Russian restaurants and homes.

Those seeking a healthier lifestyle have gone for the most obvious products: organic food. Market research company Nielsen found that one in two Russians have already tried organic products. However, Andrei Khodus, director of the Non-Commercial Partnership on the Development of Organic and Biodynamic Farming, says “the organic food market is still in its infancy, but a growing number of Russian health food products are appearing. [However,] the demand for imported bio-products is down, but the demand for Russian-made ones is up. As a result, Russian production of bio-products for the domestic markets is also growing.”

According to Khodus and his team, the market for biologically pure foods in Russia still amounts to a modest $65 million. Therefore, there is money to be made in the health-food sector. Unfortunately, where there is money to be made, there is corruption. Several manufacturers are tagging ordinary food with "eco-", "bio-", and "natural" labels to maximize their profits. In some areas, the amount of these “phoney” companies is as high as 70%. As a result, Russian consumers became less interested in health food products because of their high costs compared to lower-quality counterparts.

On the bright-side, many Russians don’t pay close attention to the labels of the food they buy. So part organic foods’ success is due to that few Russians make any distinction between "healthy", "natural" and "organic" food labels. “Most food is either imported and bought in an expensive supermarket, or fresh and brought in the local open-air market,” says Khodus.

In the future, the Russian Consumers' Rights Inspection – the federal consumers protection agency – intends to establish norms, standards, and principles for health foods by the end of 2015. This will give manufacturers and consumers the necessary guidelines to help strengthen trust in "healthy" products.

In the end, I realised you cannot solve the problem of excess weight just by changing the quality of your food: you have to change your way of life.

Bibliography:

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"Food & Diet in Russia." LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM, 20 Nov. 2013. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

Iosebashvili, Irakli. "Russian Cuisine: Chicken Kiev’s French Connection." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

"Meals of the Day in Russia." - Russian Culture. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

"Russians Must Go on a Diet | Russia Beyond The Headlines." Russians Must Go on a Diet | Russia Beyond The Headlines. Russia Beyond the Headlines, 15 Nov. 2010. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

2010, 6:26PM BST 01 Jul. "Agriculture: Russia to Become Global Leader in Grain Exports Business." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.