Less than 72 hours after pushing through legislation that could see international news outlets branded “foreign agents,” Russian lawmakers are reportedly setting their sights on American fast food chains.
Parliament overwhelmingly passed amendments this month that allow the government to label news outlets funded from abroad “foreign agents.” The bill, which President Vladimir Putin is expected to sign into law, is a response to Washington requiring Kremlin-backed media to register as a “foreign agent” in the United States.
State Duma Deputy Boris Chernyshov, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) said the same label should apply to McDonald’s, KFC and other American fast food restaurant chains operating in Russia.
Chernyshov told the RBC business portal on Friday that he had sent a letter to Russia’s food and media watchdog proposing that ads for the fast food chains be marked as belonging to a foreign agent.
The next step, he suggested, would be to include fast food chains in the foreign agent registry.
“Research has shown that food sold by American fast-food restaurants is damaging to people’s health,” Chernyshov said. “But ads show only the positive side of consuming these products.”
Chernyshov was cited by Russian media on Friday criticizing the chains for contributing to the decline of Russian cuisine.
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