Seven and a half thousand tons of banned food products have been destroyed in Russia since the start of 2016, all of them being brought into the country illegally in light of the embargo, according to Russia’s federal veterinary and phytosanitary watchdog, Rosselkhodnadzor.

Most of the destroyed food products—at 7,282 metric tons—falls into the fruit and vegetable category, including apples, pears, peaches, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, strawberries, oranges, nectarines, and grapes. Two hundred twenty-eight metric tons of food products of animal origin have also been destroyed.

“Two years from the date of the start of Russia’s [embargo] proved [the ability of the Russian people] to do without forbidden products from the European Union and other countries,” said Rosselkhoznadzor spokesperson Julia Melano.

Russia’s embargo against Western foodstuffs was announced in 2014 in response to Western sanctions imposed for Russia's annexation of Crimea and support for armed rebels in eastern Ukraine.

In July 2015, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the destruction of the sanctioned products. In early August 2015, Russia began demonstrating publicly how tractors and bulldozers crush forbidden fruits and cheeses.