School breaks in Ukraine may never be the same again. Two draft laws have been registered in the Verkhovna Rada proposing restrictions on the sale of foods containing excessive amounts of sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats near educational institutions. Chips, sugary soft drinks, fast food, and the main star of many students’ lunches — shawarma — could all come under fire.
The authors of the initiative propose creating a so-called safe food perimeter with a radius of 400 metres around schools, kindergartens, extracurricular education centres, and vocational institutions. According to the idea, this is roughly the distance a student can quickly cover during a break in search of something tastier than school porridge.
It seems business owners may now need to equip themselves not only with a grill and sauce, but also with a measuring tape. Shawarma sold 399 metres from a school could become a violation, while at 401 metres it may already qualify as a form of dietary tourism.
However, the draft laws do not contain a separate clause stating that shawarma should be “banned as a phenomenon.” The proposed restrictions would apply to products that exceed established limits for sugar, salt, saturated fats, or trans fats. For unlabelled street food, compliance could be determined using recipe specifications or laboratory test results.
So, in theory, shawarma may still be saved. To survive, it will have to go through a process of spiritual and nutritional purification: less salt, more caution with the sauce, more vegetables — and perhaps even a new name. For example, “balanced chicken wrap.”
For a first violation, sellers could face fines ranging from 8,500 to 17,000 hryvnias. A repeat offence could result in a fine of between 25,500 and 51,000 hryvnias. The confiscation of prohibited products and the revenue earned from their sale is also being considered.
In other words, inspectors may not only take away the shawarma but also leave the seller without the money made from it. Who exactly will weigh the sauce and determine the danger level of French fries may become clear during further consideration of the initiative.
The authors of the draft laws explain the proposal by pointing to rising rates of illness among children, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular conditions. The aim is to complement the school meal reform with new rules for retail outlets located near schools.
Fresh vegetables, fruit, berries, and clean drinking water would not be affected by the restrictions. The ban is also not expected to apply near universities: adult students will still be allowed to decide for themselves whether they need a third coffee, a double burger, and a shawarma after their first lecture.
For now, the documents have only been registered in the Verkhovna Rada. So it is still too early to announce a final farewell between students and shawarma. But kiosk owners may already start preparing new advertising slogans: “Our shawarma is so healthy, they let it into the 400-metre zone.”
