A lawmaker in Russia's lower house of parliament on Tuesday submitted a bill imposing stringent restrictions on advertisements for fast food in Russia, documents posted on the parliament's legal information portal showed.
The bill would amend Russian advertising law "to establish restrictions on advertising food high in sugar, salt, fat and saturated fat." If passed, the bill would ban fast-food advertisements in media outlets aimed at Russian youth and require that any advertising of these products be accompanied by a health warning.
The law would also forbid advertisements of fast food within 100 meters of gyms, medical clinics, military buildings, cultural venues, libraries and schools.
The bill was proposed by State Duma Deputy Vasily Shestakov, a member of the ruling United Russia party.
A similar law already restricts advertisements of alcohol and tobacco products. This law has been partly to blame for a steep fall in print advertising revenues over recent years, which has dealt a harsh blow to Russian newspaper and magazines.
The proposal to restrict fast-food advertising follows last year's temporary closure of 12 McDonald's fast-food restaurants across Russia.
Russian authorities cited health code violations as grounds for the closures, but critics in Russia and abroad viewed the sudden interest in the famous U.S. brand as a political response to U.S. sanctions on Moscow over its role in the Ukraine crisis.
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