The government of the Russian Federation and marketplaces, together with the Center for Biometric Technologies, are discussing the possibility of legalizing the sale of energy drinks on marketplaces using biometrics. Due to the recent age restrictions on the sale of energy drinks, vending machines have also suffered, which may eventually lose up to a quarter of their income. Now sales of such drinks can return there too.
Sources in the e-commerce market told Kommersant that the government is preparing a bill that should allow the sale of energy drinks on marketplaces and vending machines with identification through a Single Biometric System (EBS). Relevant amendments should be made to Federal Law FZ-304, which entered into force on March 1, 2025. This law allows the sale of tonic drinks (including energy drinks) only in stores and only to adults.
"Now the Ministry of Finance is collecting the opinions of regulators. The Ministry of Health supports the concept and considers it possible to confirm the age of biometrics when buying energy drinks both online and in vending machines," Kommersant's interlocutors clarify. The latter segment was most affected by the adoption of the Federal Law, sources told Kommersant in the offline trading market, and companies in the segment received up to a quarter of their income from the sale of energy products. Another source also knows about the discussion of the use of biometrics for the sale of alcohol and tobacco products. "But it's too early to talk about concrete steps," he said.
The office of Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Grigorenko confirms the elaboration of an age verification mechanism for the purchase of energy products using biometrics with the participation of the Center for Biometric Technologies (CBT, EBS operator) and industry representatives: "This measure will unlock the legal market for adult consumers, while maintaining a complete ban on access to such products for teenagers."
The CBT clarified that to access the age confirmation service, you will need standard or verified biometrics.
Standard biometrics is registered remotely in the Gosuslugi Biometrics application, and confirmed biometrics is registered at bank branches. So, when buying an energy drink from a vending machine, age confirmation will be carried out through a special terminal, similar to how biometrics payment services work now, says a representative of the operator. Remote purchase of a product can be implemented in the online retailer's app. The service itself can be implemented within a few months after the adoption of the necessary regulations, the CBT assures.
During the development of the draft law "On the Platform Economy" (not yet submitted to the State Duma, designed to combat counterfeiting), proposals continue to appear aimed at making the use of platforms and marketplaces safe for consumers, the Ministry of Economic Development says. The possibility of confirming the age and identity of customers using biometrics is one of them. The ministry believes that the use of this type of identification should not be mandatory for either the consumer or the marketplace.: "It should be possible to choose the method of confirming information about the buyer. Such a choice should take into account both the personal right of the consumer to refuse to use biometrics, and the economic feasibility of its implementation in each specific sales model on the marketplace." The Ministry of Health did not respond to the request.
A representative of the combined Wildberries and Russ company calls the use of biometrics in the context of online sales of alcohol and tobacco products promising: "But it is advisable to talk about testing the sale of these categories using biometric authentication only after its legalization." Yandex Market declined to comment, Ozon and Cooper did not respond to Kommersant.
"The problem of age control in distance trading has been around for many years," says Vyacheslav Efimov, Director of Government Relations at AB InBev Efes. He does not exclude that after successful implementation in the energy segment, the verification mechanism can be applied to the sale of brewing products.
After the release of the material, the Ministry of Finance reported to Kommersant that the legislation already provides for the possibility of confirming age using standard and confirmed biometrics in person in stores when buying energy drinks (that is, not using a passport). Remote confirmation of age by biometrics when buying energy drinks, for example, in marketplaces or online stores, is also legally possible if the website or application has the technical capability. "However, it is necessary to further work out the procedure for such sales, now this issue is only being discussed with the industry and interested departments," the Ministry of Finance says.
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