Ombudsman Volynets explained why it is prohibited to sell soda to children under 18

Children’s Ombudsman Irina Volynets sent a proposal to the State Duma to ban the sale of sweet soda to children under 18 years of age. MK found out from Irina Volynets the details of her initiative, whether she advocates a complete ban on gas drinks for children or only restrictions on consumption, and also examined this idea from an economic and medical point of view.

Commissioner for Children’s Rights in Tatarstan, head of the National Parental Committee Irina Volynets proposed banning the sale of highly carbonated non-alcoholic sugar-containing drinks to children under 18 years of age. As justification, she cited one of the goals of state policy – to protect children from factors that adversely affect their physical development. In addition, carbonated drinks are already prohibited from sale in schools.

“Our initiative is aimed at ensuring that parents decide for themselves whether it is worth buying sweet soda for their children, in what cases and how much,” explained Irina Vladimirovna to MK, who, by the way, is herself a mother of four children. – We do not aim to ban consumption, we mean free sale, because often children, having pocket money, without the knowledge of their parents, spend it on unhealthy food and drinks. But most parents would not want their children to buy it, and are horrified to learn that their child drinks several cans a day. Sweet carbonated drinks have an insidious property – they do not quench thirst, and the citric acid they contain removes this feeling of cloying sweetness. Those drinks that do not contain sugar, but sweeteners, are also, according to doctors, unsafe for health.

As a result, says Irina Volynets, many children are overweight and obese, and this is not only a problem in Russia, but also in other countries. And obesity leads to many diseases, including hormonal imbalance and pathological restructuring of organs and systems of the body. The child lacks knowledge in this area, so parents need to control this process. The Children’s Ombudsman also believes that drinks should be labeled in large letters about their harm, similar to cigarette packs and bottles of alcohol.

– What do you recommend as an alternative to sweet soda?

– These can be juices, but they should not contain artificial sugar – at least according to the manufacturers. At the same time, you need to understand that even freshly squeezed juices contain a lot of sugar, and therefore they must either be diluted with water or consumed in doses. We must not forget about clean water, which the body needs. You can make a fruit drink from fresh berries at home for your child, adding a little honey, compote or your own kvass. Also, many have forgotten about “kombucha”, but in vain – it is very good for health, and, in addition, children will be interested in growing it and then distributing it to neighbors.

“Carbonated drinks (lemonade) are harmful mainly due to their high sugar content, which should be limited not only in children, but also in adults,” warned pediatrician Daria Klimuk, in turn. – But I’m not sure that it’s worth prohibiting children under 18 from buying soda, because, as you know, “the forbidden fruit is sweet,” and one way or another, teenagers and older ones will find ways to buy this product, which in theory can increase its consumption. In my opinion, it would be good to explain to children the dangers of certain products, to more often and clearly show the possible consequences – for example, obesity, which, unfortunately, is now very actively spreading among children. And it is important to convey to children and adults that it is not necessary to exclude, but it is very important to limit harmful foods.

But there is also the economic aspect of a potential ban on the sale of lemonade to children under 18, which is what we talked about with the expert.

“Let’s start with the fact that this is not the first attempt to introduce a ban on the sale of sweet carbonated drinks to minors, which did not find support in the State Duma,” Svetlana Ilyashenko, associate professor of the basic department of trade policy at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, told MK. – And this initiative will, of course, not please the beverage producers. According to Romir, the sweet soda market has only just recovered by the end of 2023. After the start of the SVO, the traditional leaders of the Russian market first suspended investments in marketing, and then completely refused to sell their global brands on the Russian market. Some factories have stopped producing drinks in Russia. All this had a positive impact on domestic producers of these products, who have significantly increased production volumes over the past year and a half. The audience of consumers has also grown quantitatively: at the end of 2023, soda began to be purchased more often than in 2022. But the average bill decreased slightly (minus 4% compared to a year earlier), primarily due to the fact that consumers began to buy cheaper – compared to global – domestic brands.

According to Ilyashenko, the category of sweet gas drinks without alcohol in general is one of the most dynamic and competitive segments of the beverage market, which strive not only to maintain their market share, but also to attract new customers, and, first of all, minors. Children 10-17 years old are the most attractive part of the audience for manufacturers, says the expert.

“I would like to note that from July 1, 2023 in Russia, in particular, sweet soft carbonated drinks are included in the list of excisable goods, and our government expects that thanks to this the budget will be replenished annually by approximately 35 billion rubles,” the associate professor added. “So introducing a complete ban seems unlikely. In my opinion, it is necessary not only to take measures to ban it, but also to conduct information campaigns among children and adolescents about the dangers of drinking this type of drink.