Vasily Vlasov: "Doshirak" instead of sausages

Vasily Vlasov The work of the meat department in the Bratislavsky market / AGN "Moscow" / Photo: Vedyashkin Sergey

The Ministry of Health of Russia supported the introduction of excise taxes on reducing red meat, which proposed to establish the expert council under the Government of the Russian Federation. The amount of excise tax may be such that sausages, sausages, bacon and the like products rise in price by almost 30%, the Izvestia newspaper writes.

Excise tax on red meat processing products may exceed 160 rubles. For a kilogram, newspapers told reporters in an expert advice. According to experts, eating these products increases the risk of cancer. Experts came up with the initiative to send funds that can be created as a result of the introduction of excise tax, to reduce health prices.

Production of cutlets / pixabay.com

The Ministry of Health specified that specific steps are still being discussed on this subject.

The idea to introduce an excise tax on meat products was put forward in the review of the Expert Council for the program “Strengthening Public Health”, which is part of the national project “Demography”. Referring to the research of British scientists, members of the Expert Council noted that 2.4 million people die annually in the world as a result of excessive consumption of red and processed meat. The authors of the initiative believe that the introduction of excise tax will lead to a decrease in the consumption of these meat products, which, along with a decrease in the prices of healthy diet, will contribute to the healing of the nation and the growth of the life expectancy of citizens.

The leading specialist of the Prevention of the Risk Factors of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Central Scientific Research Institute of Organization and Informatization of Health”, the Ministry of Health Tatyana Zubkova confirmed that sausages, ham, bacon, sausages and the like, increase the risk of malignant tumors. She called this connection proven, and also noted the connection between the use of these products and the risk of obtaining coronary heart disease of the type of type 2 diabetes 2.

Blood test for sugar / pixabay.com

According to Zubkova, the results of studies conducted in this area make you think about introducing regulation to the consumption of these products, just like regulation for consumption of other carcinogens.

About what the increase in prices for “unhealthy” food products can lead to, and whether Vasily Vlasov, professor of the National School of Economics (NIU HSE), and the President of the Evidence Society of Evidence Medicine, talked about whether it is reasonable to achieve the rehabilitation of the population in this way, spoke with Polit.ru.

Vasily Vlasov

“At first glance, it seems quite logical that from the point of view of natural sciences through properly conducted studies, one can find out which food is harmful to health and which is useful. But this is the only thing at first glance. As you know, all complex problems have simple solutions, and, as a rule, these solutions are incorrect.

As for dietetological science, this may be the most shameful page of the science of a person, not counting psychology. Over the past 50 years alone, it has been the largest failures in it, like recommendations do not eat food containing cholesterol, there are no animal fats, limit salt and so on. The fingers on the hand are not enough for only the largest of these failures to count. Nevertheless, the belief that we know what food harms health does not leave people's brains anywhere.

Therefore, they try to influence people as they can, but can influence them with violence and money. As for violence, then the reserve of funds has not yet been exhausted. But as for the financial impact, it is very effective. For example, increasing prices for alcoholic beverages and reducing the number of places of their sale really leads to the fact that people begin to drink less. But, probably, everyone noticed that we have not increased excise taxes on vodka recently.

The question is, why? Yes, because we - both ordinary citizens and governments - have other considerations, in addition to health considerations. And I think, the fact that now picked up the idea of ​​increasing the price of "unhealthy" food is also explained by other considerations. Namely, the opportunity to "cut" from the population of money in favor of the budget.

Sausage production / pixabay.com

Note that there can be no talk of any decrease in prices for "good" products, because no one knows how to effectively lower prices. But increasing them is very simple: an excise tax is taken, excise tax is invested in the budget, the goods become more expensive - and the load is transferred to the consumer. What does this lead to? This all the time leads to consequences that are not quite obvious.

With regard to alcohol, we can say that the development of moonshine is the completely obvious consequence of its rise in price. If we are talking about a very sharp, strict limitation, then it begins, smuggling and so on. So all restrictions must be introduced reasonably.

As for alcohol, there is no particular doubt about what exactly we achieve and at what cost. As for food products, there are a lot of obscure. If we talk, for example, about the consumption of fatty foods, we can recall that in some countries of Europe, increased taxes on foods with a high content of animal fat. They managed to do this exactly by the moment as it became clear that such products were not actually “harmful” food.

Bank "Coca-Cola" / Pixabay.com

Another example: in some regions - not countries, namely regions - introduced additional excise taxes on sweet soft drinks. What did this led to? To the fact that they began to eat more beer. No one even thought about such an opportunity. Is it better to beer than Coca-Cola? Not a fact. Of course, a hundred years ago, in America and Europe, they mainly drank coffee in the morning, but beer, but no one has sufficient knowledge to say, is to drink beer better in the morning than drinking coffee.

And, besides the fact that people began to switch to beer, it was found that this has an impact on poor people. It is poor people who need calories that reduce the use of sweet drinks. These are those people who eat Doshirak. In our country, a huge number of people eat, figuratively speaking, one "doshirak". And this is not very healthy food. I wonder for some reason no one thinks about him!

Lapsha quickly / pixabay.com

"Doshirak" feeds the poor; Prices are not supposed to be raised for it, and it is supposed to increase them for meat. Why? Indeed, some time ago, oncologists came to the conclusion that the use of the so -called processed meat is associated with a certain increase in the likelihood of the development of a roar. Based on this, now in some countries they began to discuss the issue of whether it was necessary to somehow regulate the use of bacon, ham and sausages.

It can be discussed as much as you like, it is only important so that this does not turn into real actions. These real actions will hit the poor people primarily and will lead to the fact that their nutrition will become even worse. Roughly speaking, instead of “Doshirak” with sausages, they will eat one “Doshirak”, ”said Vasily Vlasov.

See also: the Ministry of Health supported the introduction of excise taxes on sausages and sausage, Russian manufacturers asked the Cabinet of Ministers to raise the prices for sausage experts warned about the rise in price of sausage in Russia Ulyukaev reassured Russians about the gas tax