More than half of Russian children under one year of age are bottle-fed. At the same time, 85-90% of dry milk formulas are made from imported components, including even those ingredients that can already be produced domestically.

Measures to develop this important market and prospects for localizing production were discussed at parliamentary hearings of the Federation Council Committee on Social Policy.

Valentina Matvienko
chairwoman of the Federation Council

“For our country and our cultural code, caring for children is not just a state, administrative task. It is a real national mission, on which the future of the Fatherland and the preservation of Russia as a great power directly depend. It is necessary to achieve food sovereignty in the sphere of baby food. It is important to create a domestic production base for dry baby formulas. No place for false import substitution here. We need the production of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and prebiotics for the production of full-fledged breast milk substitutes.”

A special working group under the Federation Council on issues of children's and social nutrition is working on improving the relevant legislation. It includes representatives of federal authorities, healthcare, public organizations, and specialized component manufacturers. Executive Director Sergei Ivanov is present on behalf of EFKO.

Sergey Ivanov
EFKO Executive

“EFKO is one of the largest manufacturers of specialized fats in Russia. Only our company has liquid and dry fractionation, which allows for the production of complex and unique fats, including baby food. Fats for this socially significant area are the most complex and science-intensive. We are developing them with the help of technologists from our Biruch innovation center; we are attracting scientists from EFKO scientific and technical councils. If we provide for a stage-by-stage transition, we will be able to fully satisfy the domestic demand for fats for baby food, including increasing production capacity for this task.”