The post creates an idealized image of Soviet-era food and claims that products at that time were supposedly much more “natural” than today.
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The author begins with a categorical statement that at that time “there were no preservatives, colorants, thickeners, emulsifiers” and many other food additives, explaining their absence by the fact that these substances “simply had not yet been invented.”
Further in the post, Soviet state standards GOST are referenced. It is claimed that they strictly regulated the composition of products, so, for example, sausages and other meat products had to be made “from real meat,” and dairy products were usually free of preservatives and therefore had a shorter shelf life but were “fresh.”
The author also states that “the use of chemicals, preservatives, colorants was much more limited than today,” because some technologies were supposedly not yet available or were too expensive.
However, the post itself somewhat softens this image: it acknowledges that under conditions of scarcity, especially in the 1980s and 1990s, producers could economize on raw materials, use more starch, fats, or soy proteins, and by the end of the Soviet era, food quality declined. It is also noted that higher-quality products were often directed to large cities or special distribution channels reserved for the nomenklatura.
Claim: there were no preservatives in the Soviet era
False. The claim that preservatives, colorants, emulsifiers, sweeteners, or other food additives common today “had not yet been invented” in the Soviet era does not correspond to the facts.
The USSR Ministry of Health already approved on September 29, 1978, the “Sanitary rules for the use of food additives” No. 1923-78 – a detailed 13-chapter document that established which additives could be used and their maximum allowable concentrations.
It separately regulated preservatives, antioxidants, emulsifiers and consistency stabilizers, flour processing agents, colorants, and other additive groups.
In thirteen chapters, various food additives were regulated – from colorants and sweeteners to enzymatic preparations. The section on preservatives mentioned sodium nitrite used in sausages, benzoic acid in marmalade, and sulfur dioxide, whose allowable concentration in some dried fruits and berry pulp reached up to 3 g/kg.
For example, up to 3000 mg/kg of sulfites were allowed in cherry pulp. The document also provided for the use of antimicrobial substances: nisin could be added to canned peas and processed cheese, and lactocide was used in alcohol production.
The list of permitted substances did not end there. The Soviet food industry also regulated the use of sodium benzoate and sorbic acid, allowed synthetic colorants tartrazine and indigo carmine, flavor enhancer monosodium glutamate, sweeteners saccharin, sorbitol, and xylitol.
Rules for flour processing and glazing agents were also separately established. Thus, the Soviet food industry not only knew about food additives but also regulated their use in considerable detail.
Therefore, the claim that in the Soviet era “there were no preservatives, colorants, thickeners, emulsifiers,” etc., is incorrect.
Of about twenty additive categories listed in the Facebook post, almost all were officially permitted and used in the USSR.
The exception essentially consists of only two groups: foaming suppressants are not separately mentioned in the 1978 sanitary rules, and packaging gases in the modern sense of modified atmosphere packaging were not widely used in the Soviet food industry. Carbon dioxide at that time was regulated as a substance for carbonating beverages.
However, this does not change the overall picture – preservatives, colorants, emulsifiers, stabilizers, sweeteners, flavor enhancers, flour processing agents, and many other additives already existed and were officially regulated in the Soviet era.
Food plan – poverty
Although nowadays one can often find claims online that food in the USSR was very natural and no one lacked it, reliable historical sources present a very different picture.
For example, Anatoly Chernyaev, a longtime employee of the CPSU Central Committee’s international department, in January 1980 in his diary, describing the food supply situation, gave this picture:
“Carter’s measures [sanctions imposed by the USA due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979] were very painful.
Slaughtering of livestock was banned. But that does not produce meat: half-dead, exhausted cattle were handed over for slaughter.
Norms were brought to absurdity: in 1981 in Rostov-on-Don, it was planned that one resident would get only 2 kg of meat per year.
The situation is worse than during the war, because then only cities had to be supplied, but now also the countryside. Demands and requests to introduce ration cards are heard everywhere, but it is impossible not only for political reasons but also because there are not enough products: after all, it will be necessary to give limited amounts but to everyone, not selectively only to Moscow.”
In September of the same year, he wrote:
“Queues have increased. But there are no potatoes, cabbage, onions, carrots, or cheese. Sausages, as soon as they appear, are snatched up by foreigners who have again flooded the capital.
The plan was fulfilled only 50%. This year, production decreases every month. August was especially bad. Nothing good regarding vegetables even in Moscow. Soon it will be bad with milk and dairy products too.”
And already at the end of 1980, in December:
“The Central Committee secretary wrote a letter to regional committees and republican central committees to ‘take all measures’ to correct the meat supply situation, because in many places it is a catastrophe, and the situation is called political…”
The GOST standard also provided for meat substitutes
In the Soviet economy, all products theoretically had to comply with state standards – GOSTs, which were centrally established since 1925.
GOST (Russian Государственный стандарт – state standard) was one of the main categories of standards in the USSR.
To this day, some people believe that everything produced according to these standards was so high quality that it would be fit even for a royal table.
But in reality, GOST regulations only specified the percentage ratio of the product’s components and stated what they could be replaced with.
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For example, from August 1, 1981, GOST 23670-79 was in effect, titled “Boiled sausages, frankfurters, and meat baked goods. Technical conditions.”
It is noteworthy that this standard was officially valid in Russia until January 1, 2005, although it was amended many times during that period.
It set a certain product quality level: specified usage norms for various food components, acceptable appearance, etc.
However, the notes also indicated which products could be substituted with what.
The famous 1979 state standard for frankfurters and sausages GOST 23670-79 was edited in 1980. It states that pork or lamb meat mass, nutritional blood plasma, starch, and wheat flour mixtures could replace pure meat in products.
Thus, meat mass was allowed to be replaced by “beef, pork, or mutton meat mass obtained by processing bones in salt solutions.”
It was also possible to mix in “blood plasma (serum) of slaughtered animals” from 5 to 15% instead of water.
All crowned by this provision:
“Instead of beef, pork, mutton, it is allowed to use together protein stabilizers, beef, pork, or mutton meat mass, nutritional blood plasma (serum), starch, or wheat flour.”
So, even in table sausage strictly made according to GOST standards, which should consist of 99% beef and pork, there may be little or no meat at all.
Official state standards and norms in the USSR were intended for internal propaganda to reassure citizens that the meat they eat is of good quality.
They were also meant to create a smokescreen for foreigners, suggesting that Soviet people eat only the highest quality, natural meat products.
But in reality, the country suffered from a constant shortage of food products.
Cannot compare, but let’s compare
The Facebook post presents Soviet canteen prices in a highly romanticized way – claiming that due to state subsidies, one could eat there for almost symbolic prices. However, comparing those prices with the average wage at the time and recalculating them into today’s salary equivalent in euros shows that the story of incredibly cheap meals is greatly exaggerated.
Canteens
Lunch for 50 kopecks–1 ruble → today would be about 6.49–12.98 EUR. This price is not much different from what is now customary to pay for a daily lunch dish in capital city cafes. According to the latest June 2026 data, a soup and main meat or fish dish combo in Lithuanian restaurants and cafes cost on average 8.32 euros. At the beginning of the year, its average price was 8.15 euros, so it increased by 17 cents in half a year.
- Breakfast or snack for 20–40 kopecks → 2.60–5.19 euros.
- A loaf of bread for 16–20 kopecks → 2.08–2.60 euros. Currently, a kilogram of black bread without discounts costs 2.54 euros in stores.
Milk for 24 kopecks/l → 3.11 euros. Currently, a liter of milk without discounts costs 1.38 euros in stores.
Vegetables and fruits
- potatoes, 10 kopecks/kg → 1.30 euros/kg, currently the average price of Lithuanian packaged new harvest potatoes without discounts is 0.77 euros/kg;
- cabbage, 8–10 kopecks/kg → 1.04–1.30 euros/kg, currently new harvest white cabbage averages 0.81 euros/kg without discounts;
- beets, 9 kopecks/kg → 1.17 euros/kg, currently the average price of this product without discounts is 0.49 euros/kg;
- onions, 10 kopecks/kg → 1.30 euros/kg, currently the average price of this product without discounts is 0.47 euros/kg;
- greens, 5 kopecks/bunch → 0.65 euros, currently the average price of this product without discounts is 0.75 euros; (pricer.lt data)
- apples, 20–50 kopecks/kg → 2.60–6.49 euros/kg, currently the average price of this product without discounts is 1.99 euros/kg;
- mandarins and oranges, 1.2–1.5 rubles/kg → 15.57–19.47 euros/kg, currently the average price of this product without discounts is 1.35 euros/kg; (pricer.lt data)
- bananas, 1.1 rubles/kg → 14.28 euros/kg, currently the average price of this product without discounts is 1.15 euros/kg.
You can see all average vegetable prices in this Agricultural Data Center table.
Bread and confectionery products
- white bread, 20–25 kopecks → 2.60–3.24 euros, currently the average price of light bread without discounts is 2.17 euros/kg;
- rye bread, 15–18 kopecks → 1.95–2.34 euros, currently the average price of dark bread without discounts is 2.54 euros/kg;
- “city” bun, 7 kopecks → 0.91 euros, currently a 60 g “Kaiser” bun with seeds costs 0.14 euros each;
- pastry or bun, 4–6 kopecks → 0.52–0.78 euros, currently similar freshly baked pastries and buns cost about 0.69 euros each;
- raisin cake, 16 kopecks → 2.08 euros, currently a 120 g raisin cake costs 0.65 euros each;
- pretzel, 5 kopecks → 0.65 euros, currently a 70 g poppy seed pretzel costs about 0.39 euros each.
Dairy products
- milk in a bottle, 22 kopecks/l → 2.86 euros/l, currently the average price of this product without discounts is 1.38 euros/l;
- milk in a triangular package, 17 kopecks → 2.21 euros, currently the average price of milk without discounts is 1.38 euros/l;
- pourable milk, 19 kopecks/l → 2.47 euros/l, currently the average price of milk without discounts is 1.38 euros/l;
- kefir, 30 kopecks/l → 3.89 euros/l, currently the average price of this product without discounts is 1.76 euros/kg;
- condensed milk, 55 kopecks for 400 g → 7.14 euros, currently the average price of this product without discounts is 2.71 euros for 400 g;
- cheese, 2.7–3.5 rubles/kg → 35.04–45.42 euros/kg, currently the average price of this product without discounts is 10.52–19.26 euros/kg
You can see all average dairy product prices in this Agricultural Data Center table.
Fish and seafood
- marine pike or sprat, 20–40 kopecks/kg → 2.60–5.19 euros/kg, currently the average price of marine pike without discounts is 5.46 euros/kg;
- sayan or carp, 70–80 kopecks/kg → 9.08–10.38 euros/kg, currently the average price of carp is 7.47 euros/kg;
- halibut, 2.5 rubles/kg → 32.45 euros/kg, currently defrosted black halibut without head, gutted, 1 kg usually costs 21.99 euros/kg.
- sturgeon, 5–10 rubles/kg → 64.89–129.78 euros/kg, currently processed chilled Siberian sturgeon costs 16.99 euros/kg.
- salted herring, 1.3–1.5 rubles/kg → 16.87–19.47 euros/kg, currently the average price of salted herring without discounts is 5.53 euros/kg;
- red caviar, 4 rubles/container → 51.91 euros, currently a 100 g container of chum salmon red caviar costs 10.99 euros.
- black caviar, 5–6 rubles/container → 64.89–77.87 euros, currently 25 g of black sturgeon caviar IKROFF costs 23.99 euros
- sardines in a can, 60–70 kopecks → 7.79–9.08 euros, currently a 120 g can of sardines in olive oil costs 2.79 euros.
- sprats in tomato sauce, 32 kopecks → 4.15 euros, currently a 240 g container of IMS sprats in tomato sauce costs 2.25 euros.
Meat and sausages
- meat, 1.2–2.5 rubles/kg → 15.57–32.45 euros/kg, currently pork in stores, depending on the cut, costs about 2.96–6.50 euros/kg, and beef – about 12.61–14.70 euros/kg;
- chicken, 1.9 rubles/piece → 24.66 euros, currently a whole broiler chicken costs 3.29 euros/kg.
- “Doctor’s” sausage, 2.2 rubles/kg → 28.55 euros/kg, currently boiled “Extra Doctor’s” sausage costs 16.97 euros/kg, and cheaper “Premium Doctor’s” – about 7.65 euros/kg usual price.
- smoked sausage, 4–5 rubles/kg → 51.91–64.89 euros/kg, currently cold-smoked scalded sausage costs about 17.11 euros/kg, and hot-smoked cervelat – 11.95 euros/kg.
Paradise that never was
Comparing Soviet-era prices with the average wage at the time and recalculating them according to today’s average wage in Lithuania, the picture differs significantly from the nostalgic story about “almost free” food.
Of 27 items that could be roughly compared, only two were clearly cheaper in the Soviet era relative to income – greens and marine pike.
In a few other cases, such as canteen lunches or buns, prices were similar or depended on the specific product. But the majority of compared goods today cost less to a person earning an average salary.
The difference is especially noticeable when talking about fruits, dairy products, meat, and more expensive fish.
For example, in the Soviet era, a kilogram of bananas relative to the average wage today would be about 14 euros, mandarins or oranges – up to 19 euros, cheese – up to 45 euros, and smoked sausages – even up to about 65 euros per kilogram.
Milk, kefir, potatoes, cabbage, onions, meat, or salted herring were also more expensive than now according to the same calculation principle.
Of course, such a comparison is not a direct currency conversion and cannot perfectly reflect two completely different economic systems.
However, it shows an important fact: just because Soviet prices were indicated in kopecks does not mean food was cheap.
And price lists do not reveal another Soviet reality – shortages, when desired goods might simply not be available in the store. Therefore, the story of the Soviet “food paradise” is much more nostalgia than a fact based on economic data.
15min verdict: lacks context. Claims that food in the Soviet era was “natural,” almost without preservatives and other additives, do not correspond to the facts. USSR official rules allowed and regulated the use of preservatives, colorants, emulsifiers, sweeteners, flavor enhancers, and other additives.
Even GOST standards themselves did not guarantee that, for example, sausage would contain only meat – the regulations allowed part of it to be replaced with other raw materials.
Facts also refute the story about very cheap Soviet food. Comparing prices with incomes at the time, only two of 27 evaluated items were cheaper than today, and many everyday products cost residents up to several times more.
Moreover, price lists do not reveal one of the most important problems of the Soviet economy – constant shortages. So the “food paradise” in the USSR is rather a myth created by nostalgia than a picture based on factual data.
Publication prepared by 15min in cooperation with Meta, aiming to stop the spread of misleading news on social networks. More about the program and its rules – here.
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