Supply of Spread Instead of Butter to Sisian Kindergartens Halted by Food Safety Inspectorate

The Food Safety Inspectorate of Armenia received a letter from the Sisian municipality on January 20, 2020, raising suspicions about the butter supplied to local kindergartens under state procurement not meeting the contractual standards.

Experts from the Inspectorate conducted control measures in the pre-school educational institutions of Sisian. A controlled purchase of the supplied butter was made, and samples were taken from the kindergartens for product identification and laboratory testing. Meanwhile, a document inspection revealed that the supplier, Sisian Bread LLC, had delivered a product labeled as "creamy butter" under the brand name "Крестянское Раздолье", presenting conformity declarations from the Russian company "Молочный комбинат Светловодский". However, the declarations lacked references to the product in question.

Additionally, an investigation into the product packaging showed that the label was a double-label, with the original manufacturer's marking missing. The specialists from the Inspectorate contacted the Russian company, whose director officially denied any connection to the product, stating that they do not produce goods under the brand "Крестянское Раздолье".

The importer noted on the double-label was identified as Vigen Stepanyan, whose business activities are temporarily suspended according to information available on the official website of the State Revenue Committee. Deciphering the partially erased markings beneath the double-label indicated that the contents of the box were a plant-based dairy product called "Spread", produced by the Russian company "ДМФ".

Simultaneously, laboratory testing results from the Republican Veterinary and Phytosanitary Laboratory Service confirmed that the product did not meet butter standards based on its fatty acid composition and contained vegetable oils. Thus, the kindergartens in Sisian received a plant-based spread instead of creamy butter.

The sale of the existing batches in Sisian kindergartens has been halted, and necessary measures are being taken to unveil the full chain of forgery.