Russia wants to ban palm oil in schools and kindergartens

The State Duma is preparing a bill that would ban the use of palm oil products in educational institutions, Izvestiya has learned. The document will come to the parliament already in the spring session, the chairman of the State Duma Committee on Agrarian Affairs, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladimir Kashin told the editorial board.

"It is unacceptable that the composition of dairy, bakery, confectionery and other products offered in kindergartens, school and student canteens contain artificial substitutes and palm oil," Kashin said.

Schools, kindergartens and other organizations will have to specify this requirement in the terms of reference for public procurement. The volume of natural milk production in the Russian Federation does not yet allow to provide the country's population with dairy products and replace the incoming imports. Self-sufficiency in milk and its derivatives in the Russian Federation is about 87%, although in the Doctrine of Food Security this indicator is indicated as 90%, the deputy explained. As a result, today one person consumes only 220 kg of natural milk per year, while the recommended medical norm is 320 kg.

Producers are increasing the production of milk-containing products, replacing animal fats with vegetable fats, including at the expense of palm. At the same time, those companies that "hide" vegetable fats in the composition of dairy products, that is, make counterfeit, not always reduce the cost of goods, so the new ban will not affect the price of products, suggests the deputy.

Read more in the exclusive material "Izvestia":

Squeeze game: palm oil will be banned in products for schools and kindergartens