Saturday02 November 2024
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Ukrainians are requesting changes to the labels on alcoholic products: what’s the issue?

On October 10th, a proposal appeared on the electronic petition portal addressed to the Cabinet of Ministers, suggesting changes to the warning labels on alcoholic products and in alcohol advertising.
Украинцы просят изменить надписи на алкогольной продукции: о чем идет речь?
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This is reported by RBK-Ukraine citing a relevant petition. This information comes from Kontrakty.UA.

What the petition author proposes

The petition's author, Pavlo Anatoliyovych Koval, believes that the government officials need to initiate changes in the current legislation regarding warning labels on alcoholic products and alcohol advertising.

Specifically, it involves changing the wording from "Excessive alcohol consumption is harmful to your health" to "Alcohol consumption is harmful to your health" (or a similar phrase).

In other words, the petition suggests removing words from advertising (or other) messages about alcoholic beverages that "downplay the harm of alcohol" (in the aforementioned example, this is the word "excessive").

It should be noted that as of 14:30 on Monday, October 14, only 9 signatures (out of the required 25,000) have been collected for the petition. There are still 88 days left until the end of the signature collection period.

Arguments from the petition author

Koval explained that based on recent research in the field of medicine and health, "any amount of alcohol consumed is harmful to the human body."

"Modern scientific data shows that even small doses of alcohol negatively affect the organs and systems of the body, including the brain, heart, liver, and immune system," emphasized the petition author.

As an example, he cited data from the World Health Organization (WHO), which states that there is no "safe" amount of alcohol.

"Even moderate alcohol consumption increases the risk of developing diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and liver dysfunction. For instance, studies indicate that regular consumption of even one glass of wine or another alcoholic beverage can increase the risk of breast cancer in women and certain types of cancer in men," stressed Pavlo Anatoliyovych.

In his opinion, changing the warning label to "Alcohol consumption is harmful to your health" would:

  • more accurately reflect the real danger that alcohol poses to human health
  • facilitate better public awareness about the consequences of its consumption

Market without smuggling

Recall that Ukraine is currently working on launching the "e-Excise" system to combat the shadow market of alcohol and tobacco (the necessary documents regarding its operation have already been approved by the government).

According to Ukraine's Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov, the losses from smuggling are colossal - in 2023 alone, the state has lost over 30 billion.

Meanwhile, with the help of "e-Excise," Ukrainians will be able to check the legality of a product through "Diia" (each official product will have an electronic excise stamp with a unique code).

It is expected that businesses will receive excise stamps without bureaucracy and visits to the tax service - quickly and transparently.

Also, read about three types of alcohol that are considered the "most beneficial".