Internal Affairs Ministry requested to scrutinize ice cream sales featuring taurine by retailers, following a query from the Duma.
"Yan Lantratova, head of the State Duma's Civil Society Committee, has penned a letter to Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, expressing concern over the sale of caffeine and taurine-infused ice cream to underage individuals," reads a report by RIA Novosti. The letter suggests that some vendors are not verifying the age of customers before selling these "energetic ice creams", despite the manufacturer's '18+' label.
"Even though vendors ought to demand proof of age, not all do so… I implore you to give this matter your attention," the letter states.
Lantratova urges Kolokoltsev to reinforce controls to curb such breaches in the future.
Interestingly, as reported by RBC Group, Russia recently passed a law imposing fines for selling non-alcoholic energy drinks to minors. The sanctions range from 50,000 rubles for individuals, 200,000 rubles for officials, and 500,000 rubles for corporations.
Advertisers of energy drinks must now outline the potential health hazards in their promotions, a requirement for Technology and Media. The new restrictions exclude tea, coffee, and beverages derived from them. Sellers are authorized to demand age-verification documents from purchasers, and packages larger than 500 ml are prohibited. Moreover, energy drinks must not be sold near schools, medical facilities, cultural centres, sports venues, or during mass events.
Despite the oversight on energy drinks, the sale of caffeine- and taurine-laced ice cream to minors does not appear to be controlled by a specific national law. Most ice cream regulations in Russia concern food safety and labelling, rather than restricting sales based on ingredients like caffeine or taurine. Any enforcement would likely adhere to broader food safety laws, rather than age-based sale restrictions. This contrasts with some regional or international policies concerning energy drinks, where concerns over high caffeine and taurine content have led to bans on sales to minors.
"It seems that that the sale of caffeine- and taurine-infused ice cream to minors is not regulated by a specific national law, unlike the recent legislation on non-alcoholic energy drinks," highlighted Yan Lantratova in her letter.
"The new restrictions on energy drinks include requirements for advertisers to outline potential health hazards and prohibitions on selling packages larger than 500 ml," as reported in general news.
"In light of this, I believe that policy-and-legislation should be reconsidered to include age-based restrictions on the sale of caffeine- and taurine-laced ice cream for the promotion of health-and-wellness and overall consumer protection," Lantratova suggested.
