Russia not so different from EU

The main consumer trends in Russia are parallel to those in Europe, says Fortitech Europe’s managing director: Health and nutrition are of prime concern, and baby boomers bring opportunities in bone health, skin health and mental acuity.

Martin Austin, managing director of Fortitech Europe, says there is a lot of commonality between the Russian market and Europe. The regulatory environment is rather different however, since products must be preregistered with the authorities and all technical information provided. Once they have the go-ahead, making health claims in marketing is down to the manufacturer.

Fortitech has recently appointed a Russian business development manager to work with big national and international companies across Russia on food fortification. Fortitech’s distributor there, KUK, will handle distribution logistics.