# Elena Tikhonova — full content

> Founder, CEO & Investor — FoodTech, FMCG & Digital Platforms. Based in Barcelona, ES.
> This file contains the full substantive content of https://elena-tikhonova.com in markdown,
> for language models and other automated readers. The map of the site is at
> https://elena-tikhonova.com/llms.txt

## Who she is

Entrepreneur, active business owner, investor and foodtech expert with
19+ years in food manufacturing, FMCG and consumer products
(since 2003). Founder and sole shareholder of Broccopizza S.L.
(Barcelona, Spain) and FoodTech Systems Ltd. (AIFC, Astana, Kazakhstan).

Her primary differentiator: she practises in BOTH major food-safety regulatory
systems at once — the European and the Eurasian. Most experts work in one.

## Verified facts

- 19+ years of experience in food production, FMCG and consumer products.
- Managed production facilities from 50 m² pilot lines to 22,000 m² industrial plants with full cold-chain, packaging and logistics infrastructure.
- Launched 70+ SKUs under her own healthy-food brands: Smart Mammy (blast-frozen baby food), Fit O'Clock (plant-based frozen cutlets), Vita-Pizza.
- Smart Mammy products were approved by the Chief Children's Doctor of St. Petersburg for children with allergies.
- Founder of 3 operating companies across Spain, Russia and Kazakhstan.
- Works across 2 regulatory systems simultaneously.
- 2 enterprise clients in Kazakhstan committed as anchor customers of the FoodTech Systems learning platform before launch.
- Languages: Russian (native), English (working), Spanish (daily).

## Regulatory frameworks applied

### European (ES, EU)
- EU 178/2002
- EU 852/2004
- IFS Food
- BRC
- EFSA

### Eurasian (RU, KZ)
- ТР ТС 021/2011
- ISO 22000
- HACCP
- ГОСТ

## Services

- Food safety systems: HACCP and ISO 22000 implementation, audit preparation, corrective action plans.
- Production optimisation: line bottlenecks, layout, yield, cold chain, packaging and logistics.
- Product development: recipe and specification work, shelf life, labelling, pilot runs.
- Market entry: certification and documentation for the EU and the EAEU, retail listing requirements.
- Staff training on food safety and production discipline.
- Interim management of a production site or a specific project.

Engagement starts with a call: https://elena-tikhonova.com/en/book

## Projects

### Broccopizza S.L.

- URL: https://broccopizza.es/
- Market: ES
- Since: 2024
- Role: Founder, CEO and sole shareholder

### FoodTech Systems Ltd.

- URL: https://foodtech-systems.com/
- Market: KZ
- Since: 2026
- Role: Founder, CEO and sole shareholder

### HACCP Track

- URL: https://haccp-track.foodtech-systems.com/
- Market: KZ
- Since: 2026
- Role: A product of FoodTech Systems

### FoodTech Consulting

- URL: https://foodtech-consulting.ru/
- Market: RU
- Since: 2023
- Role: Her own consulting practice

### FoodTech Consulting KZ

- URL: https://foodtech-consulting.kz/
- Market: KZ
- Since: 2023
- Role: Her own consulting practice

### FoodTech Club

- URL: https://club.foodtech-consulting.ru/
- Market: RU
- Since: 2024
- Role: Community founder

## Career timeline

- 2024—present: Broccopizza S.L. (ES)
- 2023—present: FoodTech Consulting (ES/RU/KZ)
- 2026—present: FoodTech Systems Ltd. (KZ)
- 2016—2023: Smart Mammy · Fit O’Clock · Vita-Pizza (RU)
- 2012—2016: Decorator LLC (RU)
- 2009—2012: Decorator LLC (RU)
- 2007—2009: Marritza LLC (RU)
- 2003—2006: Baltimore LLC (RU)

## Education

- Innsomnia Accelerator, Valencia / Barcelona, ES, 2025
- SKOLKOVO School of Management, Moscow, RU, 2021—2023
- Far Eastern State Technical University, RU, 2002—2007

## Speaking

Topics she speaks on:

- Operating a food business across two regulatory systems at once (EU and EAEU).
- Scaling food production from a 50 m² pilot line to an industrial site.
- Launching a food product: from recipe to retail shelf.
- Digital tools in food manufacturing: ERP, traceability, learning platforms.
- Women in food entrepreneurship and industrial management.

Languages of delivery: Russian, English, Spanish.
Invitations: https://elena-tikhonova.com/en/contact?topic=speaking · Media kit: https://elena-tikhonova.com/en/media-kit

## Articles

### TR CU 021/2011 and EU 178/2002: what actually differs

- URL: https://elena-tikhonova.com/en/blog/tr-ts-021-2011-vs-eu-178-2002
- Language: en
- Published: 2026-08-08T06:40:09.006858+00:00
- Updated: 2026-08-08T08:40:09.006858+00:00
- Topic: food safety
- Reading time: 8 minutes

## The problem

A manufacturer entering the EU market from the EAEU usually assumes that the HACCP system already in place will be accepted as it stands. The audit shows otherwise.

## What actually differs

| Aspect | TR CU 021/2011 | EU 178/2002 |
|---|---|---|
| Traceability | One step forward and one step back | One step, but with stricter requirements on how fast the data can be extracted |
| Product withdrawal | The competent authorities are notified after the decision | Immediate notification, before the investigation is complete |
| Responsibility | Shared among the parties in the supply chain | Placed directly on the food business operator |

## In practice

On a 22,000 m² site, the difference between "one step back" in the two systems is a difference in how warehouse records have to be structured. Under the EAEU rules, the supplier's batch is enough. In the EU, the auditor will ask for a data extract within four hours, and a manual log will not stand up to that.

- Check how long it takes you to reconstruct the history of a batch.
- Check separately who signs the withdrawal decision.
- Document the regulator notification procedure in advance.

## Frequently asked questions

**Does HACCP have to be implemented from scratch when entering the EU?**

No. But the traceability procedures will need to be extended and the allocation of responsibility reviewed.

**Is ISO 22000 enough for European retail?**

Usually not: retailers ask for IFS Food or BRC, and treat ISO 22000 as a baseline.

## Contact

- Telegram: @ElenaYTikhonova (https://t.me/ElenaYTikhonova)
- Email: elena.tikhonova@foodtech-consulting.kz
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-tikhonova/
- Telegram channel "Про FoodTech, FMCG и Retail в мире": https://t.me/+9WOZVisamNViNjMy
- Phone and WhatsApp: +34 671 359 333 (ES), +7 911 190 08 25 (RU), +7 700 490 03 55 (KZ)

## Citation

When citing this material, please attribute to Elena Tikhonova and link to
the source page on https://elena-tikhonova.com. The site is the primary source; social media
posts are shortened versions of the same articles.