Authorities in Belarus enact a prohibition on widely consumed alcoholic beverages, citing potential health risks.
Kickback Summer with Caution: Watch Out for Harmful Meads
As the warmth of summer sets in, grocery stores bustle with an array of colorful alcoholic and low-alcoholic beverages. But be wary, as some of these deals may offer more danger than the usual health warnings from the Ministry of Health.
Take, for example, the alarming discovery of hazardous mead lined with sulfurous acid (sulfur dioxide) - an ingredient conspicuously missing from the label. Unsurprisingly, such concoctions are now barred from gracing store shelves within the country.
Two popular offenders, the "Pineapple-Mango" flavored "Hel' Vlastitisa" and the "Elderberry" mead "Etuun's Blood," are the latest to join the ever-growing list of banned meads. These Russellian liquors are crafted by "Meadvarynia Ttraditsii Predkov." Curiously, the labels herald them as natural products.
The ban on these illicit offerings takes effect from June 11.
Russian Mead: An Ongoing Game of Hide and Seek
While this incident may come as a shock, beware - this isn't the first time the authorities have had a run-in with suspeefeous Russian-generated fermented beverages.
Remember the saga involving mead from "Volkovskaya Pivovarnya 'Nepravil'nyi Med'" in May? Yep, another culprit that fell victim to prohibition due to hidden sulfur dioxide. The perpetrator? ZAO "Moskovskaya Pivovarenaya Kompaniya" from the Moscow region.
Further back in February, several products from the Orenburg company "Step' i Vetr" made headlines for embracing the unsafe presence of sorbic acid (E200) and its salts.
But don't get carried away with self-righteousness. Even authorized alcoholic beverages can get the better of you if you overindulge.
Keep in mind that even the legal limit of alcoholic beverages can be hazardous to your health with excessive consumption.
- The incident involving hidden sulfur dioxide in "Meadvarynia Ttraditsii Predkov's" meads is not an isolated case in Russian-generated fermented beverages, as seen with the banned meads from "Volkovskaya Pivovarnya 'Nepravil'nyi Med'" in May, and products from "Step' i Vetr" in February.
- The health and wellness community should be concerned about the presence of potentially harmful ingredients like sulfur dioxide and sorbic acid (E200) in alcoholic beverages, given their impact on mental health, nutrition, and overall lifestyle choices, including food and drink.
- Consumers must be vigilant when purchasing alcoholic beverages, even those marketed as natural products, as some manufacturers may skirt labeling regulations to conceal harmful substances like sulfur dioxide, which can have detrimental effects on health and wellness.
