Following Russia’s ban on European food products, it has been reported that the quality of cheese available in the country’s shops has fallen significantly. 

Russia’s agricultural watchdog has stated that nearly all of the cheese available in Russia’s stores is fake. Producers in the country have begun to use palm oil, a cheaper alternative to milk in an effort to step up production to fill the gap left from the import ban.

The watchdog, Rosselkhoznadzor, added that 78% of cheese in the country could not be defined as truly dairy because of the alternative products used in its production.

The National Dairy Producers Union have reacted angrily to the report and have claimed that the number reported is far closer to 20% rather than 78%.

Home Made Cheeses

Following sanctions imposed on western dairy products in August of last year, Russia has seen a boom in local production of cheese. Reports suggest that many have taken to learning about methods of making cheese at home.

Whilst this might be viewed as a positive affect of the sanctions, the emergence of fake products and their questionable quality will cause considerable concern to authorities.