Russia plans to export live frogs to China for food, the Russian agriculture safety watchdog (Rosselkhoznadzor) said on Wednesday according to Interfax.
In line with China’s demands, the agency has drafted a veterinary certificate for edible live frogs exported from Russia.
“Live frogs are recognized as safe for human consumption,” the document says.
The demands say that the frogs should be supplied from verified enterprises and should be examined before their transportation to ensure that they neither show signs of weakening nor have any injuries.
Moreover, live frogs should be kept in the regions and farms, which are not contaminated with infectious animal diseases. They should meet safety requirements and do not contain any residual substances, pollutants or medicines. Containers and packaging should be compliant with sanitary requirements, while a vehicle should be disinfected properly prior to transportation in line with the requirements adopted in Russia, Rosselkhoznadzor said.
Russia has been interested in exporting frog legs to France from as early as 2002, the European country being one of the world’s top importers with around 4,000 tons annually. However, the Russian industry has struggled to take off, mainly because the heavy investment was needed in the proper facilities for the processing of frogs for food.
