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Russia Expands Western Food Import Ban

Russia's European food import ban will be expanded. Yevgeny Razumny / Reuters

Russia's European food import ban on Tuesday will be expanded to include animal fat and meat byproduct imports, Russia's food safety watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor said on Monday, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported.

"On October 21, 2014, temporary restrictions will be introduced on imports to Russia from the European Union of a number of products used for food purposes," the agency's press service told RIA Novosti.

The ban applies to "namely, cattle and pig by-products, meat offal, cattle fat, pork fat (including lard) and bird fat," RIA Novosti reported.

Russia, in response to European Union sanctions, placed a temporary ban on most food imports from nations that had sanctioned Moscow for its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula and subsequent support for pro-Russia rebels in eastern Ukraine.

Russia, the EU's second biggest food market after the United States, decreed a one-year ban on Aug. 6. on European fruits and vegetables, dairy products and meat.

Reuters reported in early September that the ban could cost the EU 5 billion euros ($6.4 billion) in lost revenue, citing an internal EU document.

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