Food Safety Inspection Authority of Armenia responds to  Rospotrebnadzor`s decision to suspended sale of Jermuk mineral water

ArmInfo.Jermuk mineral water has been exported to Russia since 2001, gradually increasing the volume from 350,000 liters to 15,273,000 liters per year, and each imported batch complies with the technical regulations of the Eurasian Economic Union, reads an official statement by the Food Safety Inspection Authority of Armenia. 

According to the source, in addition to Russia, Jermuk is also  supplied to the USA, Ukraine, Georgia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, the EU  and many other countries.

The department noted that for 23 years, not a single case of  poisoning with mineral water exported from the Republic of Armenia  has been registered. In this regard, the Inspection Body called the  announced decision to stop selling certain batches of Jermuk mineral  water extremely strange in the absence of any negative changes in the  production process.

"In the production of Jermuk mineral water, vinegar is not used, and  the materials used are intended for use in the food industry and meet  the requirements established by international standards. The expected  residual content of these substances, in accordance with their  technical characteristics, cannot cause a burn to the esophagus," the  statement says.

The State Service explained that the process of producing mineral  water is a fully automated closed cycle, and the presence of vinegar  in the bottle directly contradicts the principle and organization of  the automated production process. The minimum volume of finished  products is 1200 bottles, so non-compliance with the above criteria  should have occurred in at least the same number of bottles.

"If necessary, the food safety inspection body of Armenia will take  appropriate control measures, taking into account the fact that  samples of each produced batch are stored, and effective measures  will also be taken with Russian partners to clarify the grounds for  making such a decision. If necessary, the food safety inspection body  of Armenia will take appropriate control measures, taking into  account the fact that samples of each produced batch are stored, and  effective measures will also be taken with Russian partners to  clarify the grounds for making such a decision," the department  noted.

A resident of Vladikavkaz, who received a burn to the esophagus after  drinking vinegar from a bottle that should have contained Jermuk  mineral water, died yesterday in the hospital.

After this, Rospotrebnadzor suspended the sale of certain batches of  Jermuk brand mineral water for safety testing. "The sale of Jermuk  mineral water, packaged in 0.5 liter glass containers and imported  into the Russian Federation from December 28, 2023 to February 12,  2024, has been suspended. It is clarified that the production date of  the bottles is December 28, 2023. Additional notifications have been  sent to the personal accounts of companies whose balance sheets  include these products. The measures taken will allow us to quickly  reduce the risks of purchasing a potentially dangerous product,"  Rospotrebnadzor assured.