Industry unions and associations do not note the deterioration in food quality during a pandemic

In RUSSIA, 39% of consumers reported a deterioration in the quality of food products. Such data was provided by the Center for the Study of Consumer Behavior of Roskachestvo. Specialists interviewed more than 1,000 respondents from cities with a population of over 100,000 people from eight federal districts. it turned out that more than half of them - 57% - believe that during the year the quality of food has not undergone significant changes, 4% are inclined to believe that it has increased.

According to the survey results, 72% of respondents noticed a deterioration in the quality of sausages and delicacies, 59% - dairy products, 55% - Russian cheeses, 41% - MEAT, 38% - fresh vegetables, 33% - fresh fruits. Some respondents (37%) were dissatisfied with the quality of confectionery and sweets. Another 36% noted a decrease in the quality of bakery products. Almost 30% of respondents indicated a decrease in the quality of fish, 20% - ALCOHOL, 14% - water and soft drinks. Roskachestvo noted that the results of the survey coincide with the number of consumer requests to check the listed categories of goods.

The representative of the Askond Association of Confectionery Industry Enterprises said that Russian confectionery products are considered to be of the highest quality not only in the domestic market, but also in the markets of other countries. “Today, Russian chocolate, sweets, FLOUR and SUGAR products are supplied to 94 countries. In terms of their exports in gross terms, Russia ranks eighth in the world, and 11th in terms of revenue. At the same time, confectionery manufacturers do not divide products into categories for domestic and foreign markets: the same brands and names that can be bought in any Russian store are exported, ”the representative of the association specified.

The general structure of the use of raw materials by the confectionery industry is such that the key raw materials are sugar (38%), wheat flour (27%), cocoa products, nuts and fruits (16%), fats (9%), starch syrup (6%) , dairy products (4%), Askond explains. “As you can see, there is no possibility of replacing key raw materials. In addition, the composition and quality of confectionery products in our country is regulated by the strict requirements of the technical regulations of the Customs Union, GOSTs, technical conditions (TU) and standards of organizations (STO), which often exceed the requirements of international standards,” the association representative emphasized.

Some companies, in an attempt to create more affordable products, are trying to experiment with new products, reducing the production of expensive types of confectionery in favor of more budget options, the Askond representative continues. For example, based on market conditions, companies can reduce the production of expensive boxed chocolates while increasing the production of marmalade. It is also possible to reduce the production of sweets with expensive fondant fillings in favor of fruit fillings. “Such experiments, which are typical mainly for small and medium-sized enterprises, in no way indicate a deterioration in the quality of products - “chocolate” cannot be worse than “marmalade” - these are just fundamentally different products, one of which is a priori more expensive, and the other is more budgetary,” the Askond press service emphasizes.

Large manufacturers that are members of the association, which produce 85% of Russian chocolate and chocolate confectionery products, guarantee their consumers the invariance of recipes and the traditionally high quality of popular and any other sweets. “Thus, today there is no reason to talk about the deterioration in the quality of Russian confectionery products,” the Askond representative concludes.

According to the DIRECTOR General of the Institute for Agricultural Market Studies Dmitry Rylko, the opinion of consumers about the deterioration in the quality of food products is a subjective assessment. It can be based on three factors. First, perhaps during the pandemic, people began to spend more time at home and be more attentive to the products they consume. “Maybe the products didn’t get worse, but people began to think so. Secondly, there is a possibility that with the fall in the incomes of the population, people began to buy cheaper and lower quality goods. The third factor is that some processors may have begun to use cheaper technologies and ingredients, which led to a decrease in the quality of products,” the expert said.

Director General of the National Union of MILK Producers (Soyuzmoloko) Artem Belov noted that the quality of milk and dairy products has improved significantly in recent years. In addition, there are no additional ingredients in this product. According to him, the modernization and construction of new dairy complexes contributed to improving the quality of milk.

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Vice-President of the Russian Grain Union Alexander Korbut also believes that the results of the survey are a subjective opinion. “We need to remember that during the pandemic, people mostly bought food in convenience stores or ordered online. In the second option, a person cannot look and choose a product that he likes outwardly. I think the idea of ​​reducing the quality of products is a psychological moment,” he said. According to Korbut, although producers are now increasing costs, the quality of products remains at the same level, as household incomes are falling. “If the consumer sees that the quality of the product has deteriorated, he will simply stop buying it,” he said.