“With the Sochi Olympic Games starting at the end of this week, there is simply no time to waste in getting our Olympic athletes and employees a nutritious and delicious breakfast – Chobani Greek Yogurt,” Sen. Chuck Schumer said in a statement.
Heading into the Olympics, Russia has drawn ire for its anti-LGBT laws, been criticized for cracking down on activists and journalists, and been faulted for its unpreparedness. The latest travesty: Denying Team USA a shipment of Chobani yogurt.
The Russian federation's federal service for veterinary and phytosanitary surveillance has yet to allow the yogurt, which is currently being stored in a warehouse at Newark International Airport in New Jersey, to be delivered to Russia.
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer said U.S. Olympians need their New York-made Greek yogurt.
"With the Sochi Olympic Games starting at the end of this week, there is simply no time to waste in getting our Olympic athletes and employees a nutritious and delicious breakfast – Chobani Greek Yogurt," Schumer said in a statement to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
Mark Blinch / Reuters
In a letter to Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, Schumer called the situation an "urgent issue."
"The Russian Federation should accept the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s AMS sanitary certificate for a one-time non-commercial shipment of Chobani Greek yogurt to U.S. athletes and staff," he wrote.
Pool / Reuters
Chobani told BuzzFeed they are an Olympic sponsor and an authentic part of Team USA training regimens.
"Right now, 5,000 fresh single-serve cups of blueberry, strawberry and peach Chobani, and multi-serve containers of plain Chobani yogurt for smoothies, are being stored in a temperature-controlled facility, waiting for the final go-ahead from Russian authorities to be immediately transported," the company said in a statement.