MOSCOW, December 22 (Sputnik) — Restrictions on food imports from the United States and the European Union imposed by Russia have allowed the country to reduce the share of genetically modified (GM) products on its domestic market, the head of the Russian state health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor Anna Popova said Monday.
"There is a significant decline in the proportion of products containing GMOs…primarily owing to the fact that the [US and EU] import is substituted by domestic production," the official said at a parliamentary meeting.
Popova said that GMO beet and sugar corn produced by the United States and the European Union has, in the past, accounted for much of the total volume of GMO products on the Russian market.
The West has accused Moscow of interfering in Ukraine's internal armed conflict and has imposed sanctions aimed to weaken the Russian economy. In August, Russia responded by restricting the import of food products from countries that imposed the sanctions. The restrictions included beef, pork, poultry, fish, fruits and vegetables, and dairy products.
