Temporarily halted: Importation of Kuban ice cream in Armenia
Armenia has announced a temporary ban on the import of a specific batch of Russian ice cream, produced by LLC "Real Ice Cream Factory" (brand "Korovka") on March 7, 2025, specifically the "Vanilla chocolate-cream eskimo plombir in glaze" variety.
The decision was made by the Armenian Food Safety Inspection Body following a food safety risk assessment, due to the batch not complying with the standards related to coliform bacteria established by the technical regulations of the Customs Union. Coliform bacteria presence indicates potential contamination and poses a food safety risk.
Although some social media posts mention E. coli bacteria specifically, the official sources from Armenia refer to non-compliance with coliform bacteria standards generally, which includes bacteria like E. coli as a subgroup but does not state precise E. coli contamination. This non-compliance indicates a bacterial contamination risk, leading to the import ban on this batch of ice cream from the Kuban region of Russia.
The ban applies only to batches imported after July 2, 2023, and does not affect products imported before this date. It is important to note that the ban does not cover advertisements or provide new information about the reasons for the ban or the steps being taken to address the issue.
The information about the ban has been shared widely on social media platforms such as VKontakte, OK, Telegram, Viber, and WhatsApp. Anastasia Ivanova is the person who has been spreading this information.
Prior to this announcement, the price of ice cream in the Kuban region was almost 100 rubles higher than in other Russian regions, with a kilogram of cream ice cream costing 973 rubles. However, the ban's impact on the price of ice cream in other regions of Russia is not mentioned in the social media posts or official sources.
The ban is intended to inform the public about the temporary ban on the specific batch of Russian ice cream, and the leadership of the food safety inspection body has ordered the destruction of products posing a health risk to Armenia's residents. The ban will come into effect on July 2, 2023. The social media posts about the ban do not mention any exceptions to the ban, such as the import of ice cream produced earlier.
[1] Armenian Food Safety Inspection Body press release, July 1, 2023. [4] Armenian Ministry of Health press release, July 1, 2023.
- The Armenian Food Safety Inspection Body has imposed a temporary ban on particular batches of Russian ice cream, owing to non-compliance with coliform bacteria standards in finance, potentially affecting future imports from the Kuban region.
- The decision in the ice cream industry to ban specific batches of Russian ice cream on food safety grounds has also highlighted the need for strict adherence to established technical regulations of the Customs Union, ensuring the safety of imported goods.
