The bill №3516 “On Amendments to the Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine Concerning Food Products Imitating Milk and Dairy” aims to oblige to label dairy products that do not consist of 100% milk and to place them separately from natural dairy products on store shelves".

Ukrainian Agri Council (UAC) and the Association of Milk Producers (AMP) have been emphasizing the need to introduce norms that distinguish dairy products and those that imitate them since 2012, so they initiated this bill. UAC specialists from the analysis center “Smart Country” and AMP joined its development.

People's Deputy Oleh Tarasov, presented the draft law №3516 to the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Agrarian and Land Policy. Yesterday, December 2, the committee has discussed it and recommended the parliament to adopt it in the first reading.

The bill №3516 prohibits the use of fats and proteins of non-dairy origin in the production of dairy products. Also, change of requirements for marking and realization of dairy and non-dairy products and responsibility for requirements violation. In particular, on all products wrappers that do not consist of 100% milk, the manufacturer have to place the inscription: "Imitation product. Contains substitutes for milk components”. In addition, some things are forbidden as well:

• the words "milk" and any derivatives thereof
• names of dairy products and animals (cows, sheep, goats, buffaloes, mares)
• images of milk, dairy products

The store, in turn, should place dairy products that imitate milk and dairy production on the shelfs of the store separately

Failure to comply with these requirements is subject for a penalty. A producer who claims to be a dairy product that contains smaller percentage of milk that must be there - he will face a penalty of 100% of the value of such products. For example, if the value of a batch that does not have the standards of labeling is UAH 1 million, the manufacturer will have to pay a penalty of the same amount.

The store will have to pay a penalty of 5 to 8 times of minimum wages for violating the rules on product placement. Today it is from UAH 23,615 to UAH 37,784.

"The fact is that today it is almost impossible to prosecute unscrupulous dairy producers. Currently, liability is assumed if the product has harm human’s life or health, which in turn is difficult to establish and prove. A clear example is the resonant fact that the Antimonopoly Committee imposed penalties on five large butter manufacturers in early November which could cost them more than UAH 30 million. Thus, the State Food and Consumer Service found the presence of vegetable fats in butter. But it is impossible to find responsible for this, because vegetable oil itself is not dangerous for life and health. Therefore, the information was passed to the Antimonopoly Committee, which imposed a penalty in accordance with the law on unfair competition. With the adoption of the bill №3516, everything will be forgiven: if dairy products do not consist of 100% milk and are not labeled accordingly - a penalty. In this way, we will be able to make clear the Ukrainian dairy market," an expert at the analysis center “Smart Country” Andrii Mastylo explains.

After the adoption of the bill, poor dairy and cheese products should disappear from store shelves, and only dairy and imitation products should remain. Thus, the consumer will be able to decide which one to choose.