Minors will be left without energy drinks – Kommersant FM
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Russia may ban the purchase of energy drinks by minors. Such a bill was submitted to the State Duma. We are talking about non-alcoholic tonic drinks, with the exception of tea, coffee and products based on them. As specified in the explanatory note to the document, in 65 regions of the country there are already restrictions on the retail sale of such goods. The measures have been introduced since 2009; the authorities of Ingushetia, Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories were the first to do so.
Now, according to the authors of the initiative, there is an “urgent need” to regulate the market at the federal level. In addition, young people consume energy drinks in quantities that “are absolutely harmful to their health,” this causes addiction and aggravates nervous and mental illnesses. However, one of the founders of Famous Amazing Brands, Anton Stelmakov, doubts the effectiveness of the ban:
“Every time this topic was raised, manufacturers, led by the Union of Soft Drinks and Mineral Water Producers, met with initiative groups and government organizations and argued that the introduction of this measure was absolutely unnecessary. All these products have been certified many times, studied dozens of times by many institutions, and their real harm or danger has never been proven. The only question is always the amount of consumption.
In most cases, statements about the dangers of these products are more stereotypical than have any basis in reality, as is the case with monosodium glutamate in food, etc.
If a similar bill to limit or completely ban the sale of tonic drinks, including to minors, is adopted at the federal level, this could have near-fatal consequences for many manufacturers. Because now this is the most capacious, marginal and promising niche. Not only the manufacturers of the product will suffer, but also the packaging, ingredients, and stores.”
According to the bill, sellers of non-alcoholic tonic drinks will be able to require a passport from the buyer to verify age. Against the backdrop of the ban, the volume of illegal trade will increase, warns independent alcohol market expert Alexey Nebolsin:
“This is a non-alcoholic drink that really helps, for example, tired drivers. Teenagers do not get hooked on it because it is not addictive. For many, this is an alternative to alcohol; if a person drinks only energy drinks, then there is much less damage to health. A complete ban on the sale of energy drinks will not be introduced, so they will be sold under the counter and someone will make a profit. The forbidden fruit is always sweet.”
Similar bills were introduced to the State Duma in 2012, 2014 and 2016, but none of them were adopted. The latest attempt to ban the sale of energy drinks to minors was made in early 2023. The document reached the first reading, but then it was withdrawn. The new law may come into force on September 1, 2024.
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