Comcon questioned 2000 Muscovite mothers with children up to three years of age, and the results of its research were presented at the recent conference on the safety and quality of children's food in Moscow.
They showed that children's juices and cheese products were the most popular, chosen by 80.2 per cent and 78.4 per cent of mothers respectively. Pureed fruit and vegetables were the next most popular choice, with 45.9 per cent, followed by oatmeal with 35.6 per cent, meat products with 22.5 per cent and infant formula with 17.1 per cent.
Mothers in Russia, as elsewhere, are concerned about the nutritional content of the food they give to their children, opting primarily for products containing no preservatives or colourings and with a high nutritional content. Factors such as price and brand popularity play a relatively minor role in the choice of what food is selected, although the child's own preference is major influence, with nearly nine out of ten mothers saying they would be led by what their children liked, even at this very young age.
While brands may not play a major role in choosing what mothers give to their children, the survey nonetheless revealed a clear affinity towards Russian products. The most popular cheese product, for example, is the Russian brand Agush, while the leading foreign brand, Danone's Danissimo, is the fifth most popular overall. A similar situation is found in the yoghurt market, with Agush one again coming out on top and Danone's eponymous brand leading the foreigners in fifth place.
As for drinking yoghurts, mothers prefer the local Rastishka brand above all others, followed by Agusha, Ciudo and Frugurt, with Danone once again ranking fifth.
According to Russian department of statistics, production of fruit and vegetable purees targeted at children increased by 35 per cent in 2004, while the output of infant formula and other powdered milk products for children rose by around 18 per cent. There was a more modest increase in sales of meat products (1.4 per cent), while production of liquid and pasta-based products aimed at children dropped by 25.6 per cent and 2.5 per cent respectively.
The Russian market for children's food is worth around $150 million, according to CVS Consulting, which organised the recent conference, but could grow to as much as $300-400 million if foreign producers can be persuaded to step up their investments following a tightening of the regulations.