Russia Is Allowing Swiss Cheese and Meat Over Its Borders

When Russia decided to ban the import of food from the West in response to global economic sanctions, the fallout was felt as far as Canada, where the meat industry took a $500 million hit because of the embargo.

This may have created a boom for local food producers, but food prices have soared so much that black markets for foods like meat and cheese—much of it tainted—have emerged within both Russia and the Ukraine.

Such is the nature of global politics, where the food commodities which millions need to survive are just another bargaining chip for very powerful politicians. But perhaps to most dramatic consequence of this geopolitical manoeuvre has been its impact on cheese.

During the summer it became clear that Russia took the food ban very seriously when it starting burning (and not melting, sadly) massive amounts of illegal cheese, at the behest of government officials who said things like: "I want to ask you to do everything possible to allow us to destroy illegal agricultural cargo that arrives at the border right there," in the presence of Vladimir Putin.

But according to Russian economic information agency Prime, it would appear that the Kremlin has relented somewhat in its war on cheese. While many Western foods remain banned, Russian officials have negotiated the re-entry of certain dairy products from the decadent, sanctions-imposing West. More specifically, the neutral cheese of the ever-neutral Swiss.

"Following inspection jointly conducted by [Russia's Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance] Rosselkhoznadzor and Switzerland's Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office on February 8-19, 2015, eight of the 13 examined Swiss-based enterprises were allowed to supply products of animal origin (cheeses, finished meat products) to the Russian Federation," Prime reported.

It's not exactly clear if the loosening of trade restrictions of Swiss products is the result of increased internal pressure, but Russian consumers have been facing soaring food-related inflation recently. The price of food in Russia is up 20 percent from last year. And over the same span of time, statistics agency Rosstat calculated the staggering rise of food prices across Russia, from a 29.6 percent rise in sugar, to a whopping 43.4 percent increase in grain and legume prices.

While the lifted ban on Swiss cheese and meat will certainly alleviate the heavy burden being felt by Russian consumers, it's definitely surprising to see such a sudden change from a regime which just months ago boasted of its ability to destroy vast quantities cheese. One could say that Russia's food ban policy has more holes in it that a certain kind of cheese.