Russia: Latest Plant-based and Cellular Agriculture Market News from Russia on vegconomist

©PureField Ingredients

Conflict in Ukraine to Cause Spike in Food Prices Worldwide

June 8, 2022March 3, 2022

The G20’s Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) has warned that the current conflict in Ukraine will bring a spike in food prices that will threaten food security globally. Russia and Ukraine together produce 29% of the world’s wheat, along with 19% of corn and a huge 80% of sunflower oil. The countries are also key producers of fertilisers and fuel, both important for agriculture. AMIS has urged G20 countries to avoid imposing sanctions on Russia that could disrupt food trade flows, with a particular emphasis on ensuring that those in low-income countries have adequate supplies of affordable food. However, food security is still likely to be affected by the conflict, as there may be disruption to crop production. The news comes at a difficult time …

Science

Plant-Based Drug Tests Could Make Laboratory Animal Testing Obsolete

December 2, 2021

Plant-based drug tests currently under development by researchers in Russia may make it possible to drastically cut down on animal testing in medicine. The new nanomedicine testing system is based on plant leaves and their vasculature. “We want to attract the attention of the scientific community to the problem of irrational usage of laboratory animals” Starting with a spinach leaf, researchers at the SCAMT Institute at ITMO University in St. Petersburg, Russia, developed a model based on the leaf’s vasculature with all cell components removed apart from the cell walls. This cellulose model is then similar in size and shape to the arterioles and capillaries of the human brain, with the plant tissue more durable and stable than that of animals. Both traditional and nanopharmaceutical …

©WellDone

Market & Trends

Russian Consumers Included 3X More Plant-Based Foods Into Their Diets During Pandemic

October 7, 2021

Last year we wrote that around 10% of Russians were already eating plant-based alternatives and 54% were willing to include them in their diet. A new study made by Eating Better shows new encouraging results. According to the study, for a year and a half, residents of Russian cities began to consume meat and milk alternatives three times more often (the share of consumers in the “meat” category increased from 10% to 34%, in the “milk” category – from 9% to 31%). Such plant-based alternatives are in the greatest demand among young people and people with high incomes. Meanwhile, the majority (95%) of Russian citizens are aware of the availability of plant-based substitutes to meat and milk on the Russian market. Health concerns are still …

Organisations and brands:

Eating Better

Russian Mayo Giant to Launch Soy Milk at Same Price as Cows’ Milk

August 26, 2021August 25, 2021

EFKO Group, one of Russia’s largest mayonnaise and oil producers, has announced it is to begin producing soy milk. The company will invest 600 million rubles ($8 million) in the venture, with the aim of producing a thousand tons of milk per month.

Organisations and brands:

Alexey

Company News

Russia: Alt-Meat Brand Welldone Now Outselling Beyond Meat as Plant-Based Market Explodes

July 19, 2021

After expanding to over 500 points of sale in 50 cities, Russian alt-meat brand Welldone has seen sales surge to surpass those of Beyond Meat. The rise has been partially attributed to Welldone’s affordable pricing, at just $3 for a pack of two burgers.

Organisations and brands:

Beyond Meat

Deepfoodtech Russia feat Bruce Friedrich GFI, ©Rusbase

Society

Two Major Conferences on Alternative Proteins Took Place in Russia This May

September 11, 2023June 11, 2021

And, according to our Russian correspondent Alexey Ivanov from eatingbetter.ru, this is absolutely unheard of. “The Alt Food Conference was the first event of the month, organised by Greenwise and Vatel Marketing in Sochi. It started with the representatives of the Good Food Institute (GFI) and ProVeg Incubator, sharing the state of the European and the US alternative proteins market. Then Greenwise made an overview of the Russian market, which amounted to only around $30 million in 2020. However, the growing interest among major Russian companies suggests that this number will increase every year. Also, Greenwise intends to help small startups grow as part of the newly formed Association of Alternative Food Producers (AAFPP). In 2018/2019, only 17 investments were made in the FoodTech sector …

Organisations and brands:

Greenwise

The Good Food Institute (GFI)

Image courtesy of Pafos cafe

Society

Russian Chef Covertly Enters Competition With Vegan Burger And Wins Prize

September 11, 2023April 28, 2021

In 2019, the UK’s vegan Purezza Pizzeria took the first prize at the World Pizza Championships in Italy. In the same year, a vegan pie was awarded winner of the British Pie Awards above around 900 traditional meat pies. Recently in Russia, in the Siberian city of Omsk, a plant-based burger also won the best burger contest without anyone realising that it is vegan.

Julia Marsel ©AAFPP

Interviews

AFFPP On Plant-Based Growth in Russia “We’re Obviously Thrilled Not Only to Witness it, But to Be At the Origin Of This Change”

September 20, 2023February 18, 2021

Great news for Russia was announced earlier this month as the country is now set to host its first plant-based incubator programme. In collaboration with ProVeg International, the newly-formed Association of Alternative Food Producers (AAFPP), has been established by Julia Marsel and Tim Ponomarev, two of the founders of the ProVeg Incubator alumni startup Greenwise.

Organisations and brands:

Courtesy of ProVeg International

Startups, Accelerators & Incubators

Russia to Host its First Ever Plant-Based Incubator This Spring

February 3, 2021

Russia is soon to have its first-ever plant-based incubator as the ProVeg Incubator partners with the newly-formed Association of Alternative Food Producers (AAFPP), a non-profit that was set up in Russia by Julia Marsel and Tim Ponomarev, two of the founders of the ProVeg Incubator alumni startup Greenwise.

Organisations and brands:

©Kotletar

The Russian Food Producers Seeing Success in Plant-Based Business

January 13, 2021

Just two years ago, you could buy plant-based products in Russia mostly in specialized shops, with rare exceptions in regular supermarkets. Moreover, these products were made mostly by small vegan businesses. But in 2019 the situation changed when the big players arrived on the market, reports Alexey Ivanov of Eating Better Russia

Organisations and brands:

Alexey

Boris Zarkov, founder White Rabbit, with Beyond Meat

Market & Trends

What Happened in Russia after Beyond Meat Arrived?

December 3, 2020

In April 2019, Russian fine-dining restaurant chain White Rabbit Family started to import Beyond Meat. It opened a new chapter of interest in plant-based alternatives in the country. What happened in this category during this year and a half and what does the new research show about the attitude of Russians to meat alternatives?

©KFC

Society

KFC Russia to Trial 3D Printed Chicken Nuggets, GFI Says “We Hope it Creates Something Like the Space Race”

September 11, 2023July 22, 2020

KFC Russia is collaborating with 3D Bioprinting Solutions, a Russian research laboratory, to create the world’s first 3D printed chicken nuggets scheduled for trial this autumn. The GFI’s Executive Director Bruce Freidrich calls this a “game-changer for the industry” and that he hopes the US and Russia compete against each other in this arena.

Organisations and brands:

KFC

The Good Food Institute (GFI)

Startups, Accelerators & Incubators

Greenwise – Russian Startup Expansion in 2020

January 21, 2020January 21, 2020

Russian company Greenwise has announced that it plans to expand its plant-based meat product line and launch into the European Market this year.

Organisations and brands:

Greenwise

Company News

Russia: Greenwise Pioneers Plant-Based Meat Alternatives

April 7, 2020April 5, 2019

Greenwise is one of the first manufacturers of plant-based meat alternatives in Russia. According to the company, it creates meat alternatives which don’t just imitate the taste, consistency, and mouthfeel of animal products, but are also versatile and affordable.

Organisations and brands:

Greenwise

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