Abstract: Recent decades are characterized by the heightened interest towards the Russian traditional culture. Among the markers of ethnic hue of an art object or a product, special place belongs to the ornament. The article examines the problems of development, transformation and adaptation to modern conditions of the traditional Slavic ornament used in design of packaging. The object of this research is the graphic element placed on the most popular lines of generally accessible food products featured in the chain supermarkets. The choice is substantiated by the general accessibility, mass production of the goods and its wide regional coverage, which ensures maximal interaction with the Russian consumer. It is established that the elements of Slavic ornament are widely used in design of packaging of food products. Preference of manufacturers is given to the elements of Khokhloma and Gzhel painting as most famous and brand-named Russian traditional crafts. The author observes the active search for color, compositional and thematic solutions, which testifies on its inevitable adaptation and transformation of traditional elements, as well as points at their problems in preparation of specialists in the area of design, who at time are not familiar with the semantic-conceptual field of the used ornaments. This leads to the occurrence of associative dissonance in perception of food products and their packaging. Utilization of the traditional ornament in this applied sphere is one of the ways for preservation and development of national culture, which forms an essential associative layer in public consciousness and requires careful application.