Inspection Authority to Conduct Oversight Measures at Ararat Brandy Factory

The Food Safety Inspection Authority of Armenia has today received a letter from the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus addressed to the Armenian Ministry of Health regarding the regulation of the sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population. The letter mentions that during the state sanitary inspection being conducted in Belarus, a case of food circulating in violation of the technical regulations of the Eurasian Economic Union has been registered.

Specifically, the letter indicates that laboratory tests of the "Ayrim" pomegranate wine produced by the Ararat Brandy Factory LLC have detected the synthetic dye Azorubin (E122), which is an indicator of potential counterfeiting of the product. As a result, the import and circulation of the company’s "Ayrim" pomegranate wine have been temporarily restricted in Belarus. However, the letter from Belarus does not specify which batch of "Ayrim" pomegranate wine was found to be non-compliant, whether other batches were also checked, and other professional details.

The Food Safety Inspection Authority of Armenia, acknowledging the notification as a serious alert, will conduct oversight measures at the Ararat Brandy Factory LLC to verify the compliance issues raised by Belarus. They will also seek clarification from the Belarusian side regarding the specific details of the restrictions. The results will be published in a subsequent announcement by the Food Safety Inspection Authority.