November 17, 2010

Russia drops frozen chicken sales ban

The Russian government will not ban all frozen chicken sales starting next year, the country's sanitary doctor Gennady Onishchenko said Saturday (Nov 13).

Current restrictions on frozen chicken would only expand next year to ban its use for manufacturing "best quality" foods, Onishchenko said.

A market source and an official said Saturday (Nov 13) that the new restrictions would ban manufacturers from using frozen chicken in products unless they subject these products to heat treatment afterward.

Frozen chicken currently cannot be an ingredient in baby food and diet food, Onishchenko said. He warned earlier this month that the authorities would halt sales of frozen chicken next year in a move that could hurt domestic suppliers and imports, including from the US.

The measure was to spur the sales of chilled chicken, which Onishchenko said was healthier. He said Friday (Nov 12) that the authorities wanted chilled chicken to account for 75% of the market next year, up from 60% this year.