Chobani Yogurt Feud In Sochi Continues

Many of us here in the United States enjoy our Chobani yogurt, a well-known strained yogurt that has been in business since 2007. We, here in The States have the freedom to eat the well-known yogurt; ...
Chobani Yogurt Feud In Sochi Continues
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Many of us here in the United States enjoy our Chobani yogurt, a well-known strained yogurt that has been in business since 2007. We, here in The States have the freedom to eat the well-known yogurt; however, this is not the story for our athletes competing in the Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, and this is causing quite a bit of a stir.

According to The New York Times, 5,000 containers of Chobani yogurt were arranged to be sent to Sochi, Russia, for the American athletes. The shipments are currently being held at a storage facility within close proximity to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey due to the Russian government stating that the correct paperwork has not been processed. The United States explained that the certification required by the Russian government to import the yogurt would be “impossible to attain.”

This yogurt issue has escalated rather quickly. The Obama administration has become involved with this feud. A senator from the United States has penned an urgent letter, asking for the help of the Russian ambassador. American officials are hoping to receive special permission from Rosselkhoznadzor, the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (which entails the jurisdiction of the American-made Greek yogurt).

Chobani yogurt has also been causing another dispute. A recently published tweet (shown below) from Chobani’s Twitter account displays various multi-colored containers stacked on top of one another to portray the colors of the rainbow.

According to The Huffington Post, the rainbow-based tweet exclaiming “Naturally Powering Everyone” comes just after the yogurt maker “denounced” Russia’s anti-gay laws. Hamdi Ulukaya, CEO of Chobani, stated the following pertaining to this feud:

“It’s disappointing that in 2014 this is still an issue. We are against all laws and practices that discriminate in any way, whether it be where you come from or who you love — for that reason, we oppose Russia’s anti-LGBT law.”

Even though the cartons of Chobani may not make it to the Olympics, Chobani holds strong to celebrating Team USA’s involvement in the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi.

Image via YouTube (0:33)

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