World meat industry news

From March to May, a fifth of Russians stocked up on certain goods, fearing their shortage in the future, according to the results of a study as part of the monitoring of the NAFI analytical center (available to RBC).

The survey was conducted in May and involved 1,600 adult residents of 53 regions of Russia.

The respondents purchased:

cereals (12%);

pasta (10%);

household chemicals (8%);

canned food (7%);

medicines (7%);

personal hygiene products (7%);

cosmetics and perfumery (3%);

tobacco (3%) and alcohol (2%);

clothing and footwear (2%);

children's goods (2%).

At the same time, Moscow residents more often than others bought cosmetics and perfumes (9%) and clothes and shoes (8%), while Russians aged 24-35 bought goods for children (6%). Women more often than men purchased personal hygiene products (9%) and household chemicals (10%) for the future.

An April poll showed that many Russians feared shortages in five categories: medicines and medical equipment (42%), food (30%), car parts (30%), smartphones and computers (27%), and materials for construction and repair (26%). “However, according to the results of the current study, it turned out that only every fifth Russian was guided by the strategy of forming stocks of products and goods for future use, despite the concerns that arose,” said Ludmila Spiridonova, executive director of the analytical center. She explained the discrepancies by the dependence of a person's consumer behavior on the availability of free money and the desire to use it to purchase various goods. According to a March survey, 66% of respondents chose the opposite strategy - they began to save and limit themselves.

The Russians began to fear a shortage of certain categories of goods against the backdrop of sanctions imposed against Moscow because of the military operation in Ukraine. Starting from the end of February, there was a rush demand for buckwheat, sugar, sanitary napkins, perfumes, and paper prices were rising.

In March, the Ministry of Industry and Trade assured that a deficit in retail trade is not expected, and long-term stocks have been formed for most socially important goods. A March poll by VTsIOM showed that every second Russian, against the backdrop of sanctions, faced a shortage of familiar goods - most often sugar (41%).