Agricultural education and healthy eating discussed at St. Petersburg International Economic Forum

St. Petersburg, Russia – June 20 – Anastasia Mikhailova, Head of Communications at Cherkizovo Group, took part in the business program of the 25th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). She told participants about expectations that business has from agricultural education and shared Cherkizovo’s experience in cultivating healthy eating habits.

Russia’s agricultural sector has made a big leap forward in recent years to become a leading industry that makes wide use of cutting-edge technologies (robots, the Internet of Things, machine vision, etc.), but qualified personnel shortage is an issue. Anastasia Mikhailova, Head of Communications at Cherkizovo Group, addressed these topics at the panel discussion Agrarian University 2030: New Challenges as New Opportunities.

According to Ms Mikhailova, Cherkizovo has been implementing a number of initiatives to develop agricultural education in Russia. Specifically, the Company runs a professional training program for instructors in partnership with the country’s 11 leading agricultural universities and supports dual education for students. Additionally, the Group’s Umnik-Cherkizovo project offers grants for young scientists to help launch their own research and pursue a career at the Company.

“At Cherkizovo Group, we want to see new hires who can easily adapt to our requirements and processes. We believe that ensuring quality training of instructors, building the capacity of educational institutions, and promoting agricultural occupations can help achieve this objective. The Company makes an active contribution to these areas,” said Anastasia Mikhailova.

Other participants of the panel included Vladimir Avdeenko, Head of Agro- and Biotechnology Development at Innopraktika, Andrei Razin, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Nadezhda Orlova, Head of the Department for Economics of Innovation in Agriculture, Institute of Agrarian Studies at HSE University, and Elena Saratseva, Deputy Head of Roskachestvo.

Anastasia Mikhailova also spoke at the Challenges and Trends in Healthy Eating: Quality, Safety, and Affordability session, which brought together Anna Popova, Head of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor), Oleg Salagay, Deputy Minister of Health of Russia, Alexander Tarasenko, Deputy Minister of Health of Belarus, Yekaterina Golovkova, Deputy Head, Center for Hygienic Education of the Population, restaurateur Arkady Novikov, and others.

Ms Mikhailova noted, in particular, that in recent years Russia has become fully self-sufficient in basic foods while also ensuring some of the world’s most stringent food safety requirements. Promoting quality nutrition and healthy eating habits should be the next important step, and thanks to public–private efforts there has already been good progress in this area.

“The trend for healthy lifestyles has been on the rise, thanks in part to the Healthy Eating campaign by Rospotrebnadzor, which has done a lot to educate the public in sensible and affordable eating habits. As a major food manufacturer and responsible business, Cherkizovo Group seeks to adjust its product range in line with healthy eating principles and fosters healthy living among its employees, including by holding various contests and promoting healthy recipes,” said Anastasia Mikhailova. She added that in 2022, the Company plans to launch production of food for preschool and school children.