The Effects of Food Distribution on Healthy Eating in Soviet and Post-Soviet Russia

This paper argues that difficulties in food distribution play a role in shaping people’s attitudes about what constitutes healthy food. The body of the paper is divided into five sections. The first section provides information on food distribution during War Communism and during the post-Soviet period. The second is a case study about bread as it relates to distribution and health. The third section analyzes how the traditional ethnically Russian diet correlates with contemporary Western findings on what constitutes good nutrition. I then examine three health-related concepts that emerged as a result of the specific food distribution practices. Finally, I explore the effects of the sanctions and counter-sanctions on healthy eating. Each section uses a combination of scholarly articles, statistics, and primary sources (blogs, cookbooks, restaurant websites, propaganda posters, etc.) to understand the economic and cultural environments surrounding food distribution and health