WASHINGTONA U.S. senator has asked Russia to give Chobani the green light to ship its yogurt to Olympic athletes in Sochi.
The Russian government is not allowing the yogurt to enter the country without Customs certifications that cannot be attained even though U.S. citizens will be the only ones eating the Greek yogurt, according to Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.).
Schumer on Tuesday urged Sergey Kislyak, Russian Ambassador, and Thomas Bach, head of the International Olympic Committee, to let the yogurt into Russia.
"I understand the need for high food safety standards for dairy products. However, the U.S. government has confirmed that sanitary standards have been met to ensure that this yogurt will be safe for consumption by American Citizens attending and participating in the 2014 Winter Olympics," the senator wrote in a letter.
Chobani, a sponsor of U.S. Olympians and Paralympians, expressed its gratitude to Schumer.
"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.
The Olympic Games begin Friday.