World meat industry news

Cherkizovo Group (Petelinka and Cherkizovo brands) gave students of Primakov Gymnasium a tour of its R&D Lab in the run-up to World Quality Day. The Lab’s experts demonstrated how food quality and safety assurance plays a key role in the operations of Russia’s largest meat producer, while also offering the children an exciting quiz and a sausage-tasting session.

Primakov Gymnasium’s eighth graders have recently visited Cherkizovo Lab (Moscow Region). The visit was timed to coincide with World Quality Day, which is celebrated annually on the second Thursday of November. Timofey Tkachik, Head of Genomics and Molecular Biology at Cherkizovo Lab, and other employees showed students around the laboratories and provided some insights into how they work.  

“Today, our laboratories rank among the best in both Russia and Europe. It is here that we run tests of raw materials and finished products not only for Cherkizovo Group, but also for other manufacturers,” said Mr Tkachik. He also emphasised that the Lab’s mission is to improve quality of life through an in-depth R&D analysis of foods, aimed at promoting a balanced diet and healthy living standards.

The young visitors had an opportunity to see the Lab’s equipment, which is used to carry out research on animal genetics and health, and to check food quality at all stages of the production cycle (starting from the quality of animal feed and food additives all the way up to the quality of ready-to-eat products). “Our Lab is fully compliant with international standards and utilises the most advanced technologies, some of which have no equivalent in Russia. Thanks to our international accreditation, the Lab’s findings are recognized worldwide,” said Mr Tkachik.

Cherkizovo Lab is the Russian agricultural sector's only European-class laboratory center, which focuses on the research and development of food products. Launched back in 2016, the Lab now spans 1,500 sq m, boasts EUR 10 million of investments, and runs some 1,000 tests annually.

During the visit, the Gymnasium students were given an opportunity to ask questions. The fact that the Lab’s employees are offered regular work placements in 12 countries, including Germany, France and the United States, seemed to spark particular interest in the eighth graders. At the end of the tour, the children took part in a fact-finding quiz about Cherkizovo and Cherkizovo Lab. The visitors showed that they were well aware of the Company’s brands, the retail chains selling these brands, and the role of Cherkizovo Lab in ensuring superior product quality.

The visit ended with a sausage-tasting session. The schoolchildren were offered to try four types of sausage – Servelat GOST, Delikatesnaya Po-Cherkizovsky, Salchichon and Doktorskaya GOST – and vote for the product they liked most. Delikatesnaya Po-Cherkizovsky won the largest number of votes, with Doktorskaya GOST coming in second.