ArmInfo. The food safety inspection body of the Republic of Armenia will carry out supervisory measures at the Ararat Brandy Factory LLC, in connection with a letter received from the Ministry of Health of Belarus, which states that violations of the requirements of the EAEU technical regulations have been identified in the products produced by the enterprise.
The Ministry of Health of Belarus reported that as a result of a laboratory study, the dye azarubine (E122) was found in the composition of "Ayrum" pomegranate wine, which is produced at the Ararat Brandy Factory. In this regard, the state temporarily stopped the import and circulation of Ayrum wine on its market. However, according to the Supervisory Authority of Armenia, the Belarusian side did not indicate in which batch of "Ayrum" pomegranate wine a discrepancy was found, whether studies of other batches of these products and other details were checked. In this regard, the Food Safety Inspection Authority of Armenia intends to contact the authorized body of Belarus to obtain clarifying information about violations and restrictions.
The Ararat Brandy Factory is located in the Ararat region of Armenia. The Factory produces brandy, wine, vodka, whiskey and flavored alcoholic drinks. "Ararat Brandy Factory" LLC produces products under the trademarks "Terra Armenia", "Armenian Brandy", "MARE", "Amaras", "Karot", "Anmar", "Ameny". In December last year, exports and the supply of Armenian brandy to Russia were temporarily blocked by a decision of Rosselkhoznadzor. The agency has identified many low-quality products.
Earlier,Avag Harutyunyan, Chairman of Union of Winemakers of Armenia (UWA), in the conversation with ArmInfo, said that what is happening is a consequence of the wrong policy of the Republic of Armenia during the last 15-20 years. "Instead of stimulating high-quality production of alcoholic products, the government constantly makes decisions to subsidize producers, including the purchase of grapes, which allows these producers to produce inexpensive low-quality products, which are sold on export markets, often at a price below cost", he noted.
Independent experts believe that the 15-20% annual growth in the production of alcoholic beverages in Armenia is in no way supported by an increase in the production of grapes and other local raw materials, and Armenian producers often use cheap imported spirits in the production of alcoholic beverages, w which determines the low cost and poor quality of products.
