This is stipulated by the draft law On amendments to certain legislative acts on bringing the legislation of Ukraine in the field of baby nutrition to the requirements of EU legislation, adopted on Thursday in the second reading, which was supported by 273 MPs.
The document toughens the requirements for safety and certain indicators of the quality of food products intended for children under the age of three years. In particular, stricter requirements are established for milk used for baby food. It is forbidden to use flavors, colorants, preservatives, stabilizers and other substances that may affect its safety and quality.
Separate labeling is being introduced for the varieties of such food: "first infant formula", "infant formula for subsequent feeding", "baby food", etc.
After the law comes into force, the packaging of all products intended for feeding babies will cease to contain such labels as "gluten-free", "very low-gluten content", "suitable for people with gluten intolerance", "suitable for people with celiac disease", etc. As noted by the authors of the legislative initiative, the use of ingredients containing gluten for such foods is generally prohibited.
The advertising of "first infant formula" and "infant formula for subsequent feeding" will also be banned in most media — it can only appear in specialized publications with scientific justification. This should weaken the influence of baby food manufacturers on mothers' decisions to stop breastfeeding their babies.
As reported, the parliament of Ukraine adopted the discussed bill in the first reading on June 30. Earlier, the American chamber of commerce in Ukraine applied to the chairman of the Ukrainian parliament with a request to determine the document as a priority and to promote its adoption.
