A striking example of eating low-quality foods is antibiotic resistance, which arose due to the frequent consumption of meat and milk from animals in the treatment of which antibiotics were used.
With a sedentary lifestyle, constant stress, overeating and inhaling dirty air, the conditional ecological purity of food may not have any effect on your health.

What are the dangers of ordinary products?

In pursuit of economic profit, the global food industry cares least about the health of its end consumer. Its main goal is to feed the maximum number of people at the minimum price. To achieve this, food producers are taking a whole range of measures, starting with genetic engineering and ending with the use of completely useless and even harmful chemicals.

The main methods used by modern manufacturers to achieve economic benefits:

• reduction of production costs;
• reducing the cost of manufacturing processes;
• increasing the shelf life of food products;
• reducing the rate of damage and loss of resources by increasing their resistance to pests and negative external factors.

As a result, the shelves of modern supermarkets, grocery stores, markets and trade stalls in all cities of the world are filled with bright, beautiful, appetizing products that can be stored in the refrigerator for months. And few people think, plunging into all this illusory abundance, about the gigantic size of the chicken and the unnatural shine of the bell pepper, about the village milk that does not turn sour for weeks, and about the clearly distorted taste of many familiar products. [box#1]

By eating such “modified” foods, a person unknowingly causes serious harm to his body in the form of chronic diseases, decreased immunity, intoxication, metabolic disorders, allergies, fatigue, disorders of various systems and internal organs. And it is still somehow not accepted to connect all these problems with food, although many do not even realize how healthy eating and organic products can transform their lives.

Can organic food help improve your health?

Replace unhealthy foods with natural foods

Healthy nutrition is the key to normal human life and even one of the surest ways to increase life expectancy. Recovering from long-term consumption of low-quality foods is not easy, and this can only be done through a complete transition to environmentally friendly and natural food.

Replacing unhealthy foods with healthy foods leads to a gradual improvement in well-being and mood, increased performance and disappearance of depression, a reduction in the manifestations of chronic ailments and restoration of vitality in general.

When switching to organic food, it is important to understand that a natural diet is not a panacea, and deviations from it are quite acceptable. You should not expect cardiac changes and total healing of the body from organic food, much less hope that they will help cure any serious diseases. [box#2]

The opposite effect can be caused by an incorrect combination of foods or attempts to over-saturate the body with useful substances through uncontrolled consumption of food that is unusual for the body.

What products are environmentally friendly?

Despite the desire of a significant part of the food business to obtain maximum profit from the sale of low-quality products, modern market law also applies to healthy food.

Demand gives rise to supply, and every year more and more food products appear on the market, which do not harm the body at all, and even on the contrary, saturate it with the vitamins and microelements necessary for optimal functioning. And the main task of a person who decides to switch to healthy food is to learn to recognize such products on supermarket shelves.

Environmentally friendly products do not contain genetically modified organisms, synthetic preservatives, artificial flavor enhancers, dyes and flavors. The raw materials used in the production of eco-products are grown without the use of hormones, antibiotics, artificial fertilizers, toxic chemicals and pesticides.

Products grown on organic materials are much tastier and healthier than those obtained by using growth regulators, chemical enzymes and other artificial additives. Realizing this, many farms try to minimize human intervention in the natural development of plants and animals.

Advantages of eco-products over conventional ones

Natural products are the best health aid

In addition to the fact that organic food is completely safe for humans, it also has other important advantages.

1. High content of vitamins and microelements (in eco-products there are approximately 50% more useful substances than in ordinary food).
2. Improved taste, pleasant aroma, juiciness and appetizing (the taste of environmentally friendly food does not have chemical impurities).
3. Safety not only inside, but also outside. Fruits and vegetables are often coated with wax to prevent them from spoiling quickly and to give them an attractive appearance. Environmentally friendly products do not need such processing. They can be eaten with the peel, which means you get even more nutrients.
4. Benefits for children and pregnant women (the absence of chemical additives completely eliminates their penetration and sedimentation in the body).

What are environmental products?

Despite the fact that most often fruits and vegetables are considered natural products, there is a huge list of products that can rightfully bear the proud title of “ecological”. Thus, on the shelves of modern stores you can find environmentally friendly pasta and vegetable oils, nuts and dried fruits, natural canned food, dairy products, candies and chocolate.

Eco-products of animal origin are also known, prepared using special technologies that involve the elimination of growth hormones, chemicals, antibiotics and low-quality feed in the process of raising birds and animals. Some manufacturers show concern not only for people, but also for their pets, launching ecologically clean food for cats and dogs on the market. All these delicacies are united by the absence of harmful components in the composition and the presence of a special sign on the packaging.

Requirements for environmentally friendly products

In order to bring truly safe, healthy and high-quality environmentally friendly products to the market, manufacturers must comply with certain requirements.

1. When growing crops, the use of mineral fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, chemicals and any unnatural irradiation is not allowed. Animals can only be raised on environmentally friendly feed, and their diet should not contain hormonal drugs or feed antibiotics.
2. When producing organic food, it is prohibited to use artificial preservatives, genetically modified organisms, synthetic flavors, substitutes and taste regulators. The use of aggressive processing methods and changes in the original properties of products is not allowed.
3. Environmentally friendly products are characterized by minimal external processing. Wax and exposure to chemical factors are a sign of artificially increasing the shelf life of products and improving their appearance.

Where to buy organic products

It is better to buy eco-products in specialized stores.

Every year, the world market is replenished with new producers of environmentally friendly products, and healthy nutrition itself is becoming increasingly in demand. Many companies from Russia and other countries open retail and wholesale sales points, participate in international fairs, and display their products at exhibitions.

Unscrupulous entrepreneurs are also becoming more active, passing off cheap, low-quality goods as environmentally friendly products. That is why it is better to purchase eco-products in specialized stores and centers that have licenses and certificates confirming the naturalness of the products offered. Before reaching the shelves of eco-markets, real organic food undergoes mandatory certification and receives a label certifying its naturalness. In Russia, a law has not yet been issued that would regulate agriculture and control the work of producers of organic products, but a draft of such a document has already been submitted to the State Duma.

Agricultural fairs are regularly held in different cities of the country, presenting buyers with a wide selection of products grown by farmers on their own farms. And despite the fact that all the fruits, vegetables, berries, meat and dairy products they sell look very natural and natural, there is no guarantee that no chemicals were used when growing plants, or harmful additives and stimulants were used when feeding animals. That is why it is better to buy environmentally friendly products in places where an official and 100% guarantee of their naturalness and safety is provided. A bright sign and original presentation of organic products are not an indicator of their naturalness and safety.

A modern buyer can recognize an environmentally friendly product by the signs “BIO”, “ECO”, “ORGANIC”. Such badges indicate strict adherence to the principles of organic agriculture in the process of preparing products. The products themselves can be called differently: bioproducts, environmentally friendly products, organic food. Purchasing goods marked with an eco-certification mark is much more profitable and safer than buying products from private farmers, whose product quality can be almost impossible to control.

In accordance with standards established in America and Europe, the labels indicate that the product is 95% natural. Environmentally friendly products may contain about 70% organic matter or even a little less, but an inscription about these indicators must be present on their packaging.

Despite the fact that the cost of organic products is usually 20-50% higher than conventional food, a safe organic diet is an invaluable investment in your own health.

Ministry of Science and Education of Ukraine

Donetsk National University of Economics and Trade named after. M. Tugan-Baranovsky

on the topic of: "Environmentally friendly products"

Donetsk 2009

In our modern times, when the air, water and land are polluted by human life products and the environmental situation, despite all the efforts of mankind, continues to deteriorate, people are beginning to think more and more about their health.

There is one Chinese proverb - “tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are.” This proverb most accurately characterizes the connection between the food you eat and how you look and feel.

On the food market today there are a lot of offers on the topic of “healthy eating”. Starting from all kinds of pills, powders (dietary supplements) and ending with products with an optimally selected diet. But no one can answer the question of which of them are really useful and most effective, for one simple reason: there are so many people on the planet earth and there are so many options for the impact of these products on them.

So is there only one solution to the problem of healthy eating?

Yes, it exists, and like everything ingenious, it is simple. To achieve this, food must be grown in an environmentally friendly environment and packaged in an environmentally friendly manner.

Why is this particular option the only one?

The answer to this question is simple. The products are created by nature without human intervention in the process; they contain all the necessary substances for the life of the human body in the most complete and balanced manner. In this case, the phrase “made by nature” can be applied. And this phrase will most fully and succinctly contain the answer to your question.

What is an environmentally friendly environment?

Where and how are environmentally friendly standards and criteria set?

The European certification system can give us the answer to this question.

In 1980, the International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM) established the Basic Standards for Organic Production (IBS).

Here are some of them:

· cultivation of land must be carried out without the use of chemical fertilizers for at least three years;

· seeds for organic farming must be adapted to local conditions, resistant to pests and weeds and, most importantly, not be genetically modified.

· soil fertility must be maintained through a varied crop rotation and biodegradable fertilizers of exclusively microbiological, plant or animal origin.

· the use of herbicides, pesticides, insecticides, nitrogen-containing and other chemical fertilizers is prohibited.

· to combat pests, physical barriers, noise, ultrasound, light, traps, special temperature conditions, etc. must be used;

· when raising livestock to produce Organic meat, it is prohibited to use antibiotics and growth hormones;

· farmers must register any treatment of animals. Treatment records are reviewed annually by certifying authorities;

· the use of radiation and genetic engineering in the production of Organic products is strictly prohibited;

· if a product is labeled as Organic, its manufacturer is required to use 100% organic ingredients;

“So this is in Europe, but here nature is much cleaner and apples from our “favorite garden” are much tastier and healthier,” you might say.

Yes, everything is correct, and it’s tastier and healthier, but who checked it, where is the confidence in this? Where is the guarantee and criteria for what is more useful?

Unfortunately, no one can give you guarantees. There are no criteria yet either.

There are many voluntary certification systems that, for a “modest fee,” will turn your ordinary products into “environmentally friendly” products. At the same time, these voluntary organizations have their own criteria for evaluating products. Whether their criteria are correct or not is currently impossible to figure out, since there is no law that sets standards for Organic products.

As a result, we have many Russian food products that use the terms of European standards to increase sales of their products. Who among us has not seen juices, kefir, mayonnaise on store shelves, and this list can be continued for a long time, with the designations “BIO”, “BIO”, “Environmentally safe product”, “Checked by environmental expertise”, etc. In essence, it turns out that our consumer is being misled, simply put, “our brother is being fooled, gentlemen marketers.”

At the same time, in many European countries, at the state level, Organic product standards have been introduced. A system has been created to monitor the implementation and compliance of these standards.

How can our customers figure out which products on store shelves are truly Organic?

The easiest and fastest way is to find one of the symbols of European certification bodies on the product label. Here are examples of some of them:

Organic Agriculture – EC Management System	European Union	In March 2000, the European Commission for Organic Products introduced this emblem. It is used exclusively voluntarily by those manufacturers whose products comply with the European Union standards system adopted in 1991.
Bio-Siegel (Ecological Seal)	Germany	In 2001, the German Federal Ministry of Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture introduced a national label - Bio-Siegel (Ecological Seal), which identifies products from companies that adhere to the requirements of the EU regulation.
Agriculture Biologique (Ecological products)	France	France was one of the first European countries to introduce a national label for organic food, which replaced private labeling systems and is the property of the French Ministry of Agriculture. The application of this logo on goods is permitted after signing an agreement with the owner of the mark and fulfilling all the requirements established by EU legislation. The mark may also be applied to organic products from other countries, provided that the requirements of French legislation for farms using organic methods are met. However, products of plant origin must be produced in the European Union, with the exception of exotic ones.
Valvottua tuotantoa/Kontrollerad ekoproduktion (Certified organic products)	Finland	This national mark is issued by the Finnish Plant Inspection Center
	Sweden	In Sweden, the only accredited inspection organization is KRAV. Its standard is more stringent than the requirements provided for by European legislation. Issued by the Swedish Society for Agricultural Products Control. The mark is also found on products produced outside Sweden (coffee, tea, fruit).
	Netherlands	This mark is issued by the State Inspection Body of the Netherlands, called Skal.
United States Department of Agriculture	USA	This label has been issued by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) since 2002 under the National Organic Program (NOP).
	Finland	This ladybug mark is issued by a private Finnish certification body, Luomuliito. Most often this sign is found on vegetables.
	Europe, America, Africa, New Zealand	The Demeter organic certification standard, which emerged in 1924 based on the work of Rudolf Steiner (“Spiritual and Scientific Foundations for Successful Development of Agriculture”), became the first global standard for organic agriculture. The presence of the Demeter biodynamic production mark on the product packaging not only characterizes the special conditions of strict control at all stages of product creation according to Organic standards, but also reflects a special concept of an approach to careful and careful farming, taking into account many natural features (moon phases, seasons, etc. .), incl. caring for the cleanliness and safety of soils and the environment. Currently, Demeter International has 18 member organizations in Europe, America, Africa and New Zealand.

What about our environmentally friendly packaging?

This issue is no less serious, but easier to resolve.

Why serious?

Yes, because no matter what environmentally friendly products are produced, if the packaging is toxic, it will ruin for us the quality of the product that we so strived for.

Why is it easy to solve?

What is environmentally friendly packaging is packaging that comes into minimal contact with the products it contains, without changing the quality properties of the products. Today, the packaging market can offer many options for environmentally friendly product packaging. At the same time, manufacturing and packaging technologies are constantly being improved.

Right to name

With full confidence, only those products that have a certificate from one of the generally accepted certification organizations in the world can be called ecological or organic.

Russian certification you can trust - the “Leaf of Life” badge of the St. Petersburg Eco-Union. Of the foreign ones generally accepted on the Russian market, the most widely used are the EU Eurolist, the American USDA Organic, the Italian ICEA, and private foreign certificates of the Demetra and Bioland systems.

If we talk about the differences between our and non-our certificates, the Russian national standard for organic products is adapted from generally accepted international standards and has minor differences. True, it came into force quite recently, only this year.

Certificate – quality guarantee

The certificate mark on the product means that it was produced without pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, antibiotics, anabolic drugs, steroids, or GMOs. To obtain such a certificate, the product, at every stage of its production - from seed to the counter, is very strictly checked by inspectors of certifying companies. Everything is very strict and everything can be verified: each batch of products has its own number, which can be used to check the authenticity of the product by going to the website of the certification company. The certificate must be confirmed every year and only for a certain volume of products. It will not be possible to sell products from a neighboring uncertified field under the guise of organic; the inspector will quickly discover this. They check everything - land, seeds, fertilizers, plant protection products, feed, living conditions for animals, slaughter method, processing, transportation, storage.

“Eco” and “organic” do not count

Products that do not have a certificate, but simply the words “eco”, “bio” or “organic” on the packaging are just a statement from the manufacturer, which may or may not be true. Unfortunately, Russia has not yet adopted a federal law on organic products, which would prohibit simply putting such labels on packaging, which is what many unscrupulous manufacturers take advantage of. Despite the fact that in Russia there are catastrophically few certified producers of organic products, no more than 70 throughout the country. While, for example, in Turkey there are more than 40 thousand, in India there are 500 thousand.

If there is no certificate

What should we focus on if most domestic products do not have any certificates, but do we need something?

Products that need to be treated with special care are pork, chicken, eggs, milk and dairy products, sweets, out-of-season fruits and vegetables, and commercially grown fish. It is worth giving up processed foods and fast food. It is better to prefer natural products with a short shelf life to any processed products. It is extremely difficult to determine the environmental friendliness of products by appearance, color, and smell, since there are such “craftsmen” who give ordinary products natural properties that even experienced experts will not find the difference.

The most obvious differences in taste, smell and appearance are natural apples, tomatoes, cucumbers, meat, ukop, honey, cottage cheese, and cheese. Most products are difficult to distinguish immediately.

You definitely shouldn’t choose fruits and vegetables that are glossy and beautiful, identical in size and shape, or very large; as a rule, these are GMO products grown with a large amount of agro-toxic chemicals. Cow's and goat's milk should not have a strong or unpleasant smell. If this is so, then the animals were kept in dirt and poorly cared for. Ask meat and milk sellers what they feed their animals. If the answer is: store-bought “compound feeds,” then it is better not to take such milk and meat, since most commercial feeds already contain GMOs, antibiotics and growth hormones.

Closer to nature

The quality is closer to ecological for those who prepare their own feed and do without imported premixes. Completely natural and healthy milk comes from free-grazing animals that eat natural grass feed, as is customary in organic farming. It is better to buy meat and milk from small farms with up to 8 animals. The less crowded the animals are, the less they get sick, the less the risk of containing antibiotics in products. Well, the natural smell of fresh vegetables and fruits, not grown industrially, speaks for itself; it is impossible to fake it.

According to WHO, a person eats from 3 to 9 kg of preservatives, stabilizers and other food additives per year. Organic products don't have all this.

Natural products are more filling, they are better absorbed by the body, and contain more vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients. With a properly balanced diet of natural products, it is easier to maintain an optimal weight for the body, while semi-finished and industrial food, in addition to the fact that it has lost some of the beneficial substances from processing and freezing, it also contains cheap components that are difficult for the body to digest.

From my garden

Today, the safest way of high-quality ecological nutrition is either certified organic (Eco, bio) products or products grown in your own garden beds. Products from your garden/garden or from the forest can be considered environmentally friendly if you did not use GMOs, agrochemicals, antibiotics, growth hormones, or food additives during the growing or production process. And also if your site is far from industrial production and highways, and the soil and water for irrigation do not contain heavy metals and harmful chemical compounds.

Today, quite a large number of food products have appeared on the Russian market, the packaging of which bears the word “bio”, “eco” or “organic”. However, these products almost never correspond to the “eco” concept. At the same time, the cost of products with a corresponding inscription on the packaging is 20-200% higher than analogues (without an inscription).

Consumers have become hostages of this situation due to the lack of an appropriate law on organic agriculture and organic food in the Russian Federation. We also do not have mandatory certification of eco-products. And since there is no law, then manufacturers are free to use these terms at their own discretion, which, of course, cannot but worry buyers - after all, they are actually being deceived.

So, the concepts of “eco”, “bio” and “organic” are synonyms that denote environmentally friendly products produced in compliance with the principles of organic agriculture.

According to European and American organic farming standards, the label “organic” (“bio” or “eco”) indicates that at least 95% of the contents by weight (minus the weight of salt and water) are organic. The inscription “made with organic” means that at least 70% of the content is an organic product. The label appears on the front or top of the package and may be followed by up to three product component names. The inscription “less than 70% of content is organic” means that less than 70% of the content is organic. In this case, a list of organic ingredients may be provided on the package, but the word “organic” cannot be used on the front side of the package.

BASIC PRINCIPLES OF ORGANIC AGRICULTURE

According to the standards of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM)*, organic agriculture is based on four basic principles that must be used as a whole.

Health principle

Organic agriculture must maintain and improve the health of soil, plants, animals, people and the planet as one and indivisible whole. According to this principle, the use of fertilizers, pesticides, veterinary drugs for animals and food additives that may have adverse effects on health should be avoided.

Ecology principle

Organic agriculture must be based on the principles of natural ecological systems and cycles, working with, coexisting with and supporting them. The principles of organic farming, grazing and the use of natural systems in the wild to produce crops must follow natural cycles and balances. Organic agriculture must achieve ecological balance by designing land use systems, creating habitats, and maintaining genetic and agricultural diversity.

Principle of justice

This principle states that animals should be provided with living conditions and opportunities that are consistent with their physiology, natural behavior and health. Natural resources used in production and consumption must be considered from the perspective of social and environmental justice, taking into account the interests of future generations. Fairness requires that systems of production, distribution and trade are open, equitable and reflect true environmental and social costs.

Principle of Caring

Organic agriculture must be managed proactively and responsibly to protect the health and well-being of current and future generations and the environment.

Summarizing all of the above, we can conclude that the marks “organic”, “bio” or “eco” are intended to notify the buyer that the product is grown naturally without the use of chemicals, in an environmentally friendly area, where at a distance of 500 kilometers around There is not a single chemical or other harmful production from the point of view of environmental protection.

HISTORY OF ORGANIC FARMING

As an independent trend, organic farming began to actively develop starting in the 1940s in Europe and America, in response to dependence on synthetic fertilizers and insecticides. During the industrial revolution of the 19th century, with the development of agrochemistry, many effective methods of soil fertilization and pest control were proposed. First it was superphosphates, then ammonia-based fertilizers. They were cheap, effective, and easy to transport.
During the 20th century, new farming methods were actively used, actually leading to increased yields. However, the environmental consequences of using these methods became increasingly obvious: soil erosion, contamination with heavy metals, and salinization of water bodies.

In 1940, British botanist Albert Howard, one of the founders of organic agriculture, proposed a soil fertilization system based on the use of composts from plant residues and manure. A natural, but not the last reason for the emergence of organic farming was the increasingly better understood danger to human health. Now living conditions in big cities make people think about how to protect themselves from the negative impacts of the urban environment. And a healthy lifestyle consists of more than 50% healthy eating.

In 1972, the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) was created with the goal of disseminating information and introducing organic agriculture in all countries of the world. Already in the 1990s, green movements and green philosophy acquired a global scale; environmental protection and concern for the health of their citizens became priority areas of public policy in many countries**.

HISTORY OF ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY PRODUCTS IN RUSSIA

Organic farming in Russia originated in 1989, when the all-Union program “Alternative Agriculture” was launched. Over the course of two years, the program brought international certification to a number of farms, but ended in complete collapse, since the market was not ready for such products.

In 1994, the export of environmentally friendly certified buckwheat to Europe began, and since 1995, an organic processing plant has been operating in the Kaluga region. Currently, farms in the Tula, Oryol, Novgorod, Omsk, Pskov, Kursk, Vladimir, Orenburg, Yaroslavl, Moscow regions and Stavropol Territory are engaged in ecological production of agricultural products.

Thus, the formation of a market for environmentally friendly and safe products is just beginning in Russia. The main reasons for the lag behind the United States and European countries include the lack of a unified concept of environmentally friendly products, the unclear position of the state on this issue, and the low environmental culture of the population. However, consumer demands are gradually forming a separate sector of “village” food on the market. Certifying organizations have also appeared (for example, NP “Ecological Union”, St. Petersburg), which have developed their own standards that take into account both international requirements for organic agriculture and the peculiarities of Russian reality. All this clearly contributes to the development of the organic food market.

The newly created Moscow company “Clean Land” is conducting in-depth marketing research into the demand for environmentally friendly products and is preparing to enter this market. The company establishes connections, on the one hand, with independent producers whose product quality meets IFOAM requirements, and on the other hand, with distribution channels that allow organic products to be widely represented.

During the period from 2000 to 2010, the global organic food market grew more than 3.5 times - from $17.9 to 60.9 billion (rice. 1 ) .

According to IFOAM, the global market for eco-products grew by about 12% in 2011 - from $60.9 to 68 billion - while the growth of the consumer market as a whole during this period was only 4.5%. If the organic products market continues to maintain its growth dynamics, then by 2020 its volume could reach $200-250 billion.

MAIN TRENDS OF THE ORGANIC PRODUCTS MARKET

Currently, several main trends in the development of the Russian organic food market can be identified.

The growth of the global market for organic food products is more than 2 times faster than the growth of the market for non-organic “mass” products.

The fastest growing segments of the organic food market are “vegetables and fruits” and “milk and dairy products”. At the same time, the “meat, poultry”, “baked goods” and “beverages” segments are growing at a faster pace, but in terms of volume they lag behind the leaders.

Sales of organic products currently still make up a small share of total food sales in different countries - from 0.75% in the Czech Republic to 4.2% in the USA.

Rising sales of organic products indicate that consumers are willing to accept the added value. Russians are becoming more and more demanding when it comes to food; it is important for them that the products are natural, that genetic engineering is not used in their production, and that they do not cause harm to health.

The main channels for the sale of organic products are retail chains (supermarkets, hypermarkets, discounters) – they account for 41% of sales. The share of specialized stores is 26%, and the share of direct sales is 13%.
The growing market demand for organic products is stimulated at the government level - programs for the development of organic farms are being adopted in the United States and the European Union, and programs for training certified organic farmers are appearing in many universities and colleges.

DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL OF THE RUSSIAN MARKET OF ENVIRONMENTALLY CLEAN PRODUCTS

Russia lags behind developed countries in the production of eco-products and eco-services by 15-20 years, and the volume of the domestic market for organic products, according to IFOAM, is only $60-80 million, or about 0.1% of all food products.

At the same time, Russia is experiencing a steady growth trend in sales of organic food products. Thus, over 5 years it increased by more than 1.5 times - from 30 million euros in 2007 to 50 million euros in 2011.

The potential of the Russian market is assessed quite highly: according to experts, by the end of 2013 it could grow by 25-30% - up to $100 million.

In Russia, there is a problem with defining the boundaries of the market for organic agricultural products - there is no single law that would establish which products should be classified as organic and which should not. There is also no unified certification system. Resolving this issue and introducing mandatory organic certification at the legislative level will contribute to market development.

Experts believe that the faster development of the Russian organic market than in the West will be facilitated by an improvement in the overall environmental situation in the country, rich soil resource potential, and the presence of huge areas of land (up to 40%) that have not recently been cultivated due to economic and financial difficulties, cheaper labor.

Organic food products belong to the premium segment of the market, and the markup on them, depending on the product category, can vary from 20 to 400%.

The main sales channels for organic food products are:
* supermarkets, where most premium food products are sold;
* specialized stores selling natural products;
* direct sales through online stores, which avoid retail markups. Today, sales of organic food products through online stores account for 5% of total sales of these products. According to experts, sales via the Internet will grow by 22% by the end of 2013;
* pharmacies selling a limited range of organic products. These are mainly diabetic and low-calorie products, baby food and cosmetics.

The possibility of exporting Russian organic products to EU countries is also highly appreciated.
Let's consider factors that in the future may have a positive impact on the growth and development of the market for environmentally friendly products in Russia.

Political factors:
* in the near future – the adoption of a law on organic agriculture, within the framework of which it is necessary to define what “organic” (environmentally friendly) food products are;
* development of a unified certification system for organic products based on European and American standards;
* introduction of mandatory certification of organic products;
* adoption at the state level of a comprehensive program for the development of the agro-industrial complex;
* providing financial assistance to farmers (in particular, preferential taxation) at the state and/or regional level;
* establishing strong connections with regional and local authorities.

Economic forces:
* stabilization and further economic growth after the 2008 crisis;
* stabilization of the ruble exchange rate;
* creation of a system of preferential lending for organic agriculture projects;
* high growth potential of the organic products market (at least 25-30% per year);
* creation of additional jobs in farms;
* attracting cheaper labor;
* reduction in prices for organic products.

Social factors:
* increase in birth rate;
* desire for a healthy lifestyle;
* growth in income of the population;
* consumer orientation towards higher quality and more expensive food products;
* concerns about the presence of artificial ingredients and preservatives in “traditional” products;
* the belief that organic foods are healthier;
* the desire to purchase food products that have a natural taste, without enhancers;
* improving the culture of consumption and education of people in the eco-sphere as a whole;
* development of an education program for workers in organic agriculture.

Technological factors:
* development of an integrated technology for the production of environmentally friendly products (from soil preparation, planting plants and seeds, feeding and keeping animals, to the full cycle of production and packaging of products);
* conducting scientific research as a guarantor that organic agriculture is healthy, safe and environmentally friendly;
* creation of a logistics system - building a clear and streamlined system for delivering products from farmer to client.

TARGET GROUPS OF BUYERS AND CONSUMERS OF ORGANIC FOOD PRODUCTS
As in the West, in Russia farm products belong to the premium segment, their main consumers are representatives of the middle and upper class, that is, about 20% of Russians. The most active consumers are women and men aged 25-45 years, with higher education, with average and higher income, residents of Moscow and St. Petersburg.
The main motives for purchasing and consuming organic food are health benefits, absence of artificial ingredients and preservatives, natural taste and safety.

Among the main barriers to purchasing these products is their high price. Also, many consumers do not perceive the health benefits of environmentally friendly products, do not know anything about them or do not trust the manufacturer. The short shelf life of these products is also a limiting factor.

Factors stimulating the purchase of environmentally friendly products include: income growth, concern for one’s health and the health of the family, fitness classes, and a decrease in the number of available and free medical services. Dissemination of information about the dangers of biotechnological “unhealthy” ingredients in food products, as well as the harmful effects of chemicals on traditional agriculture, is also of great importance. In addition, the consumption of branded organic products is one of the most fashionable trends in the West.

Thus, we can conclude that a clear state policy and the introduction at the legislative level of mandatory certification of eco-products in accordance with international standards, an educational program aimed at increasing the level of knowledge about eco-products, as well as the interest of chain retail in sales and setting adequate prices for these products will contribute to the growth and development of this category in the future.

* International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements.

** Data from an international association of producers, suppliers and consumers of eco-products.

Ekaterina Dvornikova

Research by the consulting company "Dvornikova and Partners"