text: In 1961, Nesmeyanov formulated the idea of obtaining food by synthetic methods, bypassing agriculture. The idea was based on the works of D. I. Mendeleev and M. Berthelot , as well as an awareness of the modern possibilities of organic synthesis, the problems of preserving the environment and the efficiency of food production. The main areas of work were: the development of highly efficient methods for obtaining nutrients; reproduction of the appearance, taste, smell, color, shape, consistency and other properties of natural products in synthetic food substances. As a result of research at INEOS , processes have been developed for obtaining black caviar, new forms of potato products, pasta and cereals and combined meat products based on vegetable and animal proteins.