News

You might not think of Russia as a key market for halal food yet between 15-20% of Russia’s 145 million population identifies as Muslim. That is a lot of mouths to feed. Indeed, demand for halal products has been growing around 30-40% since 2011, so look out halal food exporters: you may have just found your new market.

After a year of tensions, Turkey and Russia looked like there were ready to settle their food trade issues in 2016. 2017, so far, has failed to build on this promise. New problems have reared their heads, meaning some Turkish products are still banned from Russian import.

The EU and Russia, plus the USA, Canada, Australia and Norway, have been going back and forth with economic sanctions since late 2014 – and the most drastic have been in the food industry.

Russia, the world’s seventh largest wine market, is a vital vino stop on global export markets. Traditional tipples are losing ground amongst Russian drinkers as, despite the lingering effects of recession, consumption and imports of international wines are gaining ground in Russian once more.

Fast food seemingly reaches all around the globe and Russia is no stranger to its instant-fix pleasures and tastes. Since McDonald’s first erected its famous golden arches in Moscow back in 1990, Russia’s appetite for low-cost, convenient food has exploded.

Alcohol – and particularly vodka – has been an integral part of the Russian food and drink market, and Russian society in general, for hundreds of years. But companies looking to target Russia’s alcohol market should forget their stereotypes, because the market is changing fast – beer in Russia is taking over.

Times are tough for average consumers in Russia at present. Prices of fresh food and drink products seem to be rising, despite domestic efforts to replace imports. In the processed frozen sector, however, things are heating up.

The saga of sanctions and counter-sanctions between Russia and the West could be over before 2018. That is the message coming from Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov after speaking at an economic conference in Moscow on Friday 13 January 2017.

Russia’s food and drinks sector continues to beguile, charm, and even frustrate the global community. 2016 saw a range of big events sweep across the industry. Import substitution and a damaged relationship with major agricultural product supplier Turkey stole the headlines.