Russian officials could be fined for eating sanctioned food subject to destruction

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13:02 06/08/2015

MOSCOW, August 6 (RAPSI) - Eating the sanctioned products that are subject to destruction will be a violation for public officials that could be punishable by jail time, Izvestia newspaper reports on Thursday citing a source in the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Protection and Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor).

According to the newspaper, the guidelines currently developed by the agency exclude the possibility of the confiscated products being eaten during destruction. If a public official breaks the regulation it will be considered a violation and improper execution of duties. The violation may be punished as negligence with a fine of up to 120,000 rubles (about $1,900), 360 hours of community service, up to 12 months of correctional labor, or up to 3 months in jail.

The newspaper’s source also specified that, according to the guidelines, eating the banned products will not be considered destruction.

The government approved the banned product elimination process last week. The products may be destroyed by any legal means that do not violate environmental regulations. The confiscated food will be eliminated regardless of whether the owner or import organizer is known. The presidential executive order validating the decision comes into effect on August 6 and is mandatory.

In August 2014, Russia restricted imports of food products from the countries that imposed sanctions against Russia, including the EU. The ban covers meat, sausage, fish, vegetable, fruit and dairy. In late June, officials decided to extend the embargo until August 5, 2016, and also excluded young oysters and mussels, any cheese and limited non-lactose dairy products.