As time goes by, people are getting busier. With limited time, people are going to need to fulfill their needs in the most practical way. Food is one of our basic needs. Everybody wants to be healthy and try to be healthy but, in reality, maintaining our health can be challenging. Cooking for sure is a healthier choice if we want to make sure that our body gets a sufficient amount of nutrients. But, when we are already so busy working all day, we must be feeling tired when we are home at night. When this happens, we will make a decision that is more practical than healthy. Instant meals that take a very short time to prepare make it very easy for us to eat various kinds of foods.

You can find packaging versions of almost any food. Burger, sandwich and even spaghetti are just a few examples of food which packaged version you can easily find in the supermarket. You can even find many supermarkets that provide the service of heating up the food for you so you can eat it right away.

The situation is different when we talk about the Russians and their food. When you go to the supermarket, you will find it hard to find Russian food in packaging version. What are the reasons behind this? Let’s find out about that

WHY IS IT HARD TO FIND THE PACKAGING VERSION OF RUSSIAN FOOD

1. Russians’ Love of Healthy Food

Some researchers have researched to find out Russians’ attitudes toward nutritious food. This research results in the fact that most Russians believe that they need a healthy meal to maintain their health. The research also informs about the fact that Russians know what kinds of food considered as healthy food and understand the importance of healthy eating.

Russians love to cook their meals. They even associate their traditional meals with healthy meals. So, when you are asking Russians about their idea of nutritious food, they will mention home-cooked soups, cooked vegetables, and meat or fish dishes. They even state that they see fresh, healthy, and varied ingredients are major keys in cooking proper food.

Russians’ love towards healthy eating effects the production of the packaging version of Russians food. Russians are passionate about a healthy lifestyle. They are aware that providing themselves with home-cooked meals that use fresh ingredient is an essential way of applying a healthful way of life. This is proof that the state of mind Russians is one of the reasons why we find it hard to find Russian food in packaging version.

2. The Imported Equipment

Making the package version of a certain meal is not an easy thing to do. The manufacturers specialized in food packaging need high-quality equipment to do this job. Since Russia does not have the proper equipment for this, Russian imports it from other countries. It does not only import food packaging equipment but also the food processing ones. For both types of equipment, it was estimated that it cost Russia around $ 2 billion in 2017.

The other countries are aware that the demand for food packaging and food processing equipment is high. Many manufacturers from different countries are being highly competitive to supply Russia’s demand. Among all of the equipment producers from the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Denmark, and Austria, Germany is still on the top of the list of food processing and packaging machinery’s supplier.

Knowing the fact that Russia is willing to spend a lot of food packaging machinery shows how big the packaging industry in Russia. But, according to the data of this industry, the major fields for packaging industries are not food, but pharmaceuticals, non-alcoholic drinks, and cosmetics. It is true that Russia food industries also need packaging, but just as mentioned in the first point, the health awareness among Russians are keeping on increasing. This is reflected by the rising demand of the non-alcoholic drink, water, which is proven by the demand for packaging for the water bottle. We can see the correlation between Russians’ care of their health with the Russian packaged food. Their decision to provide and feed themselves with nourishing food impacts the demand for food packaging in the food industry. The packaging industry also shows an effective response by focusing on the field that has become everybody’s favorite, which is the non-alcoholic beverages field. The reality of the industry of food packaging itself is another explanation of why we find it hard to find Russian food in packaging version.

3. Rising Demand for Organic Products

One of the characteristics of Russians food is the used of an abundance amount of vegetables. Russians are also popular to pickle their vegetables, especially the ones that will not grow during the winter. That way they can still have sufficient nutrients and vitamins during the cold season.

The fact that Russians dishes require a lot of fresh vegetables, such as carrot and cabbage, as well as onion and turnips, makes it hard to sell Russian meals in the packaging versions. Russians love to eat their food fresh which is something that we cannot get by consuming packaged or ready-to-eat meals.

Not only that they want the ingredients of their meals to be fresh, but nowadays, Russians also want it to be organic. This is proven by the rising demand for organic products in Russia, products that do not get any pesticide. Even when Russia was going through a rough recession, the demand for organic products keeps increasing steadily.

Recognizing the demand for organic products, the government gives a positive response. They realize that there is a big chance that the demand for these healthy, pesticide-free products will keep on increasing in the future. To make sure that they can meet society’s demand, the government expands the organic agricultural land in Russia.

Now we have learned why we find it hard to find Russian food in packaging version. It is all rooted in the fact that Russians believes in healthy eating. This principle is effected by the condition of the packaging industries and reflected on the Russians food choice.