Russian watchdog asks Kazakhs to ban Ukrainian confections

Russia's consumer rights watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, has asked Kazakhstan to ban the import of products from Ukraine's Roshen confectionery company.

A Kazakh Health Ministry official said on August 9 that tests are being conducted on the products and a decision will be made when the full results are known.

Rospotrebnadzor banned the import of Roshen products on July 29, saying benzopyrene, a carcinogenic substance that can accumulate in the human body, had been found in the company's milk chocolate.

Roshen denied the allegation.

Authorities in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova, and Tajikistan started testing Roshen products last week.

Preliminary results did not reveal any dangerous substances.

Roshen exports its products to former Soviet republics, as well as to Canada, Germany, Israel, and the United States.

RFE