Brasilia, July 3 (RHC)-- Fernando Teixeira, general director of the Cuban cigar importer Emporium Cigars confirmed to Sputnik that "the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), made a wrong interpretation of the formula of Cohiba cigars and the situation has been regularized."

On Monday the Brazilian media echoed the commercial prohibition of Cuban tobacco of the Cohiba brand in the South American giant, after Anvisa claimed to have found in the cigars an alleged excess of sorbic acid, an organic component used as a food preservative. .

Anvisa rejected in May the application for renewal of the Cohiba trademark registration and granted 30 days to collect all the Habanos displayed on shelves in Brazilian stores.

According to Sputnik, Teixeira confirmed that Anvisa withdrew the ban and authorized the commercialization of the product, "being proven that Cohiba is 100% natural, without the addition of other products."

"The presence of other substances is due to the natural curing and  fermentation process of tobacco" said the director.

In addition, Teixeira explained that the problem was in the interpretation of legislation that is based on the cigarette industry where flavor additives known as 'flavors' are used, hence the mistake with Cuban cigars.

"This caused a misunderstanding in the interpretation of the data of the annual renewal process of the trademark registration in Brazil," he said.

The Cohiba brand is internationally recognized and marketed in all countries except the US, where its sale is prohibited by the US economic blockade imposed on Cuba for more than six decades.