The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, has adopted at the first reading a bill introducing amendments to some laws of Ukraine regarding the ban on the use of palm oil in food production.
A total of 233 MPs voted for the approval of the respective draft law, No. 3871, at the first reading.
“The purpose of the bill is clarification, namely a direct ban on the use of palm oil in the production of food, milk and dairy products and the establishment of administrative liability for the offense committed,” reads an explanatory note to the bill.
The draft law proposes amending the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses by envisaging administrative liability for the offense committed. The authors of the draft law emphasize that the production, putting into circulation or sale of products that do not meet the requirements of standards, certificates of conformity, norms, rules and samples in terms of safety, quality, including palm oil products, as well as completeness and packaging, entails a fine on officials of enterprises, institutions and organizations irrespective of the form of ownership, as well as citizens who own enterprises or their authorized persons, in the amount of 20 to 100 tax-free minimum incomes.
Similar actions committed again within a year after the application of administrative measures entail a fine of 100 to 200 tax-free minimum incomes.
It is also proposed to amend Part 2, Article 6 and supplement Article 21 of the law of Ukraine on milk and dairy products in terms of the ban on the use of palm oil in the production of milk and traditional dairy products, as well as to envisage the ban on the use of palm oil in Article 27 of the law of Ukraine on the safety and quality of food products. (Ukrinform/Business World Magazine)