What’s wrong with “Doshirak”?

“People love Doshirak” – and it’s hard to argue with this advertising slogan. In Russia, instant noodles occupies a leading position in sales (the total revenue of Doshirak plants in Russia in 2021 amounted to almost 25 billion rubles). It costs noodles within 50 rubles, a wide selection of flavors, always available on the shelves even in small convenience stores.

Until recently, there were no questions to “Doshirak” – even if not the most healthy food, it is convenient, satisfying and even affordable for a student. However, after the start of the SVO, something went wrong with the Doshirak …

Up then down

In April – early May, in the regions of Russia, Doshirak noodles suddenly rose in price.

So, according to the URA.RU portal, “Its cost has increased from 44 to 74.99 rubles in Yekaterinburg stores.” The increase was almost 100%.

In early July, Doshirak again fell in price. Now, in Pyaterochka and Magnit, instant noodles cost 60-65 rubles (depending on the region).

It seems that unusual – everything is now more expensive. But aren’t instant noodles hanging on the ears of gullible Russians?

In Russia, there are 2 plants with a full production cycle – Doshirak Koya LLC (in the Moscow region) and Doshirak Ryazan LLC. Doshirak Rus LLC is responsible for distribution. The enterprises are part of the structure of Korea Yakult, a large South Korean food tech concern.

“Doshirak” is produced at domestic factories. Therefore, there should not be strong fluctuations in the cost of noodles. The leadership of the Russian “Doshirak” did not give any comments on this matter.

Questions for production

There are a number of questions regarding the production of Doshirak noodles.

So, Roskachestvo found traces of mycotoxin zearalenone (the so-called waste products of mold fungi, they get into noodles from raw materials). As stated on the Roskachestvo website, this may indicate that the manufacturer did not carry out an input control of the raw materials from which this product was made.

Accumulating in the body, these substances can cause serious consequences. Considering that young and middle-aged Russians most often consume instant noodles, such a “find” cannot but be alarming. Question: Did these substances get into Doshirak by accident? They were discovered only now, but no one will answer how long they have been in noodles.

The Russian production of “Doshirak” periodically becomes the subject of criticism in the media. So, in 2018, the company’s plant in Ramenskoye was fined because the company emits 32 types of pollutants into the atmosphere, while not having an agreed plan to reduce emissions. The requirements were met.

A few years later, in September 2021, news appeared in the media that Doshirak began to disappear on the shelves of stores in some cities. Citing a source in an unnamed federal grocery chain, it was reported that the company’s plant was temporarily closed for modernization. There were no further reports on whether the upgrade was eventually carried out.

Do we need “Doshirak”?

According to Rosstat, 5 million Russians over the age of 14 eat fast food at least once a month, including Doshirak.

Therefore, it is so important that the product is of high quality and does not cause complaints in terms of composition, environmental pollution and production organization.

However, the controlling and inspecting authorities, in my opinion, are too loyal to Doshirak. For such violations, the Russian company would have been fined or closed down long ago, but the Koreans continue to work.

These violations may be just the tip of the iceberg. How many more production secrets are hidden behind the doors of the “doshirakovsky” factories?

And these are not all questions. For example, it is very interesting why most large Korean companies left Russia or suspended their activities (Hyundai Heavy Industries, HMM, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, Korea Gas Corporation, LG, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis), while Doshirak remained? !

However, you don’t have to look far for an answer. Foodtech is easy money, especially when at least some foreign company stays in Russia.