MOSCOW, September 17 (RIA Novosti) - The Moscow Arbitration Court at the request of Russia's public health agency Rospotrebnadzor has fined Burger Rus LLC, operator and manager of Burger King restaurants in Russia, 100,000 rubles ($2,583) for the storage of unauthorized items in refrigerators alongside food, a source in the court told RIA Novosti Wednesday.
The court ruling states that on July 11 during an inspection of a Burger King restaurant, the health watchdog found violations of technical regulations of the Customs Union "On the safety of food products."
Brushes from a milkshake machine as well as a slicer used to cut onions and tomatoes were stored beside food products. Inspectors also "found flies in the production and storage facilities," according to the court investigation.
Rospotrebnadzor claims that the violations pose a health hazard to customers.
The court's final decision was prepared on September 15, but has not yet come into force. The decision may be appealed within 10 days.
Burger King, founded in the United States in 1954, is currently the second largest hamburger chain in the world. The brand has been operating under franchise in Russia since 2010, when the first restaurant opened in Moscow. Currently Burger King operates about 200 restaurants in the country.
