How many people have so many ideas about healthy eating? One cooks at home with farm products, another has become a vegetarian and buys green buckwheat, the third simply does not eat chips. In fact, everything is clearly stated in the legislation.
“Not long ago, changes were made to the federal law on food quality and safety,” said Anna Popova, head of Rospotrebnadzor, at the SPIEF session. – It now provides a definition of quality, which includes three basic criteria: the product must be safe, meet the properties declared by the consumer and provide the body with everything it needs.
Healthy food cannot be highly processed or contain a lot of fat, salt and sugar, Dmitry Yanin, chairman of the board of the International Confederation of Consumer Societies, stressed in a comment to RG. In his opinion, it can be found in shops and public catering if you do not pay attention to marketing claims and choose simple products and then prepare them yourself. But many people save time and buy semi-finished products that are not very healthy.
“The problem is that there is no labelling in Russia that would inform consumers about the benefits or harms of products,” the expert believes. – There are no so-called “traffic lights” on their packaging: red – unhealthy food, yellow – with minor deviations from the norm, green – healthy food. In addition, we should not forget that seasonal products are the healthiest.
It is necessary to choose “raw” foods in stores: vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, cereals, agrees trainer and nutritionist Victoria Protasova. According to her, one should be wary of “eco” labels on packaging: they mean that products are produced without GMOs, mineral fertilizers, synthetic herbicides and growth regulators, but at the same time GOST allows the use of other, no less than “chemical” additives.
“A healthy diet should be balanced and varied,” says nutritionist Alena Chernova. Research shows that you can eat conventional (non-grown and non-organic) foods and still get health benefits. In stores, you should choose products that have not undergone deep processing, and in a cafe, study the menu and ask the waiters what and how a particular dish is prepared.
High-quality organic products have a short shelf life, and this is one of the main obstacles to meeting the demand for healthy food, says nutritionist Venera Zakirova. Another problem is that many people do not know what to look for and how to find truly healthy food. In this situation, it is better to buy whole grain foods (for example, meat instead of cutlets), pay attention to the composition, but at the same time do not trust the big words on the labels. If it says “sugar-free,” most likely the product contains sweeteners, the specialist warns.
Nowadays, even the most common foods are sold under the slogan “eco.” However, manufacturers will soon not be able to use the green card so widely.
“On September 1, 2025, new rules for labeling organic products will come into force,” says Kirill Malyshev, head of the Reksoft Consulting practice. – The words “ecological”, “green”, “organic”, the abbreviations “eco” and “bio”, as well as others with similar meanings, can only be used to label products obtained through organic production. The law is very important, but it is not yet entirely clear how it will be implemented. Unscrupulous manufacturers will be able to continue to manipulate these definitions. In any case, it is worth paying attention to the composition of the product.
If before, buyers did not read labels, today they study them carefully, said Anastasia Mikhailova, a representative of a large meat processing industry, at the thematic session of SPIEF. According to her, companies are rebuilding themselves.
– We are working on the composition of products to make them as natural as possible, without additives “E” or other components. This makes it difficult to store them on the shelf and maintain their appearance. But today there are technologies that allow us to find a solution,” said a representative of the food industry.
The market for healthy products will be developed taking into account regional traditions
A separate issue is fish, an important component of a healthy diet. The Ministry of Health recommends that everyone eat 28 kilos of fish products per year, but in reality this figure has been reduced to 22 kilos. In addition, wild marine catches are exported, while less useful aquaculture products are supplied to Russian warehouses. Things are a little better than in the whole of the Russian Federation, in the Far East and the North-West, where traditional food is available in sufficient quantities.
– Our country is big and very diverse. Our experts have come to the conclusion that it is necessary to move towards regionalization of the menu, taking into account the traditions of eating behavior, as well as the shortages faced by the territories. For example, in the northern regions there are not enough vitamins and during the pandemic they showed peak levels of morbidity earlier than others, explained Anna Popova.
Products imported to the North often do not contain the necessary set of macro and micronutrients, says Andrei Setko, head of the food hygiene department at the Federal Scientific Centre for Hygiene. Scientists identified a deficiency and, together with manufacturers, created two preventive nutrition products that were introduced into the diet of Arctic children. It is planned to extend this work to the whole country.
– It is necessary to compensate for the deficit taking into account the regional component, to identify problems among specific groups of the population and to work decisively with producers. Scientists form an idea, a concept. And the food industry should offer each region a shelf with products that fill the missing components of a healthy diet, says Andrei Setko.
Despite the growing demand for healthy products, it is still insufficient and this is the main obstacle to the development of the healthy food market, says Denis Bekish, a fitness trainer. Many people prefer cheap, high-calorie and tasty, but unhealthy products. Changing habits is hampered by a lack of awareness of the benefits of natural products, distrust of their origin and high prices.
“The production of organic and environmentally friendly products requires a lot of time and resources, which is reflected in their price,” Vadim Petrov, State Secretary of the Environmental Chamber of Russia, sums up. – Not all manufacturers are willing to invest in technology and certification. In addition, the lack of regulatory standards and clear controls creates opportunities for abuse. It is necessary to strengthen state and public control over the quality of products and their labelling to ensure market transparency and protection of consumer rights.
Promoting a healthy lifestyle in terms of nutrition requires joint efforts not only from producers and the state, but also from consumers themselves, says Denis Bekish. At the same time, we should not forget about educational work. A new special all-Russian project “You are what you eat” was launched in June. Educational events highlighting the benefits of healthy eating will be held in all regions.
By the way
Russia has adopted and is implementing the Strategy for the development of organic products production until 2030. Among the main objectives outlined in the document is the development of the domestic market for such products and the increase of their exports. The infographics indicate the target indicators of the Strategy.
