The food safety inspection body has suspended the production activities of several soft drink manufacturers. In particular,
1. The production activities of a soft drink factory owned by individual entrepreneur Arman Asatryan (Aragatsotn Province, village Kuchak, brand name ‘Kuchaki Lusaghbyur’) have been suspended:
“The violations of sanitary and hygienic requirements identified during the inspection at this factory are incompatible with food production:
Specifically,
- cross-contamination of food raw materials and products, contaminated and clean equipment has not been excluded,
- necessary technical maintenance and current repairs of technical equipment have not been carried out, cleaning, washing, disinfection, pest control, and rodent extermination processes have not been implemented,
- the surfaces of floors, walls, and doors have not been made of waterproof, washable, disinfectable materials,
- the ceiling and upper structures have not been secured, which does not prevent the accumulation of dirt, the emergence of mold, and the possibility of particles falling, contributing to moisture condensation,
- the technological equipment and items in direct contact with food products have not been made of materials that meet hygiene requirements and are not kept in a repaired and satisfactory condition,
- the labeling does not indicate the presence of aspartame in the product composition — the note ‘Contains a source of phenylalanine’ is missing.
The operator has been instructed to take necessary measures and bring the food structure and product in line with the requirements of the Customs Union technical regulations. A deadline has been set,” the SASTM report states.
2. The food safety inspection body also conducted an inspection at the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage factory owned by individual entrepreneur Arpine Isakhanyan (Aragatsotn Province, city of Ashtarak, brand name ‘Burjua’):
“Based on gross violations of sanitary and hygienic norms, the production activities of the factory have been suspended:
Specifically,
- cross-contamination of food raw materials and products, contaminated and clean equipment has not been excluded,
- necessary technical maintenance and current repairs of technical equipment have not been carried out, cleaning, washing, disinfection, pest control, and rodent extermination processes have not been implemented,
- the surfaces of floors, walls, and doors have not been made of waterproof, washable, disinfectable materials,
- the ceilings have not been secured, which does not prevent the accumulation of dirt, the emergence of mold, and the possibility of particles falling, contributing to moisture condensation,
- the equipment, tools, utensils, and containers in direct contact with food products have not been made of materials that meet hygiene requirements and are not kept in a repaired and satisfactory condition,
- the food structure has not been provided with a changing room for staff.
The operator has been given mandatory orders to eliminate the identified violations, and a deadline has been set,” the report states.
3. During the inspection of the carbonated non-alcoholic beverage factory owned by individual entrepreneur Samvel Mayilyan (Tavush Province, Berd community, village Navur), it was found that the surfaces of floors and walls were not made of waterproof, washable, disinfectable materials, which is a gross violation of established sanitary and hygienic norms:
“The production activities have been suspended until the identified violations are eliminated:
4. As a result of the inspection conducted by the food safety inspection body, the production activities of the ‘Fruttanad’ brand carbonated non-alcoholic beverage factory owned by ‘Artak Karamyan’ LLC (Aragatsotn Province, city of Ashtarak) have been suspended:
This organization has been found to have sanitary and hygienic conditions incompatible with food safety. In particular:
- some areas of the wall surfaces were not made of waterproof, washable, disinfectable materials,
- the ceilings, internal surfaces of roofs, or other structures were not secured, which does not prevent the accumulation of dirt, the emergence of mold, and the possibility of particles falling, contributing to moisture condensation,
- the doors were not flat, were not made of non-absorbent materials,
- the equipment, tools, utensils, and containers in direct contact with food products have not been made of non-absorbent, hygiene-compliant materials, are not kept in a repaired and satisfactory condition,
- there was no changing room for staff.
The operator has been instructed to take necessary measures and bring the food structure in line with the requirements of the Customs Union technical regulations, and a deadline has been set,” the report states.
