Astrakhan canning combine expanding seafood range

Astrakhan canning combine majoring in production of canned vegetables under the PUIN label has expanded its product range with seafood items, reports www.fishnet-russia.com (www.fishnet.ru) with reference to Sostav.

More specifically, the combine has launched such products as PUIN Capelin roe, PUIN Cod liver, PUIN Squid and PUIN Crab. The packaging design has been developed by the company's marketing department without attracting out-of-house designers.

Actually, the combine has been planning to add up seafood products to its canned range from 2007 when the PUIN label appeared on the market. PUIN Aubergines, PUIN Sweet paprika, PUIN Adzhika and other canned vegetable products are still sold under the original label which is often read as PUTIN because it is consonant with the family name of Russia's PM Vladimir Putin. Besides, the label's logo resembles the FSB symbolism with a vertically placed sword and a double eagle.

The combine's president Sergey Sokolov says that the double eagle on the background of the label does not completely correspond with Russia's State Emblem thus the combine cannot be suited for abuse to the official symbols of the Russian Federation. He also says that PUIN is an abbreviation which has no full name. Despite all this the combine's sales have grown by 25% since the PUIN range has been launched.