The basket is “healthier”
The Ministry of labor will review the range of products in favor of meat, vegetables and fruits.
A set of products in the consumer basket must conform to the standards of a healthy diet, decided in the Ministry of labor. Officials will revise the list by 2021. It will be less flour, but more meat, vegetables and fruits. According to experts, it can make the consumer basket is more expensive by 30%.
In Russia you need to change the composition of the consumer basket “in order to approach the minimum set of food products to the rational norms of healthy nutrition”. This is stated in the report of the Ministry of labor for the government, with the document acquainted “Izvestia”.
The rational norms of healthy food approved by order of Ministry of health, the latest version of recommendations was signed in 2016. According to him, the working man needs to eat 96 kg of cereals and flour (in the current consumer basket — 126 kg), 73 kg of meat (in the basket 58 kg), 325 kg of dairy products (290 kg), 140 kg of vegetables and 100 kg of fruit (114 and 60 kg, respectively). For children and pensioners made separate calculations of both standards and of the consumer basket. They are lower by 20-30%.
Improvement of the consumer basket will require a reduction in the quantity of cereals and flour, but a significant increase in fruits, vegetables and other useful products.
In the consumer basket includes minimum set of food and nonfood goods and services. The latter is not regulated, it is considered that its value is equal to half the cost of the minimum set of products. Officials use the concept of consumer basket in the calculation of the subsistence minimum, and also for the assessment of food inflation.
As he wrote “Izvestia”, the Ministry planned to adjust the basket taking into account the recommendations of the Ministry of health in 2017 (when the new composition would be applied from 2018). But these plans are frozen. In the past year, the office has begun raising the minimum wage (SMIC) to a living wage. The latter is calculated on the basis of the current consumer basket, therefore, the establishment of its new composition decided to postpone until 2021 (at the latest revision of the validity of the law “On the consumer basket…” has been extended to 31 December 2020). From may 1, 2018, the minimum wage is tied to the subsistence level and is 11163 of the ruble.
The working group on this issue included representatives of both chambers of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, ministries, trade unions, employers ‘ associations, scientific organizations, other interested organizations, said the press service of the Ministry of labor.
The cost of the food basket may vary due to the increase in the number of fresh products whose prices differ significantly in season and out of season.Andrew Carpopedal of the Board of the Russian Association of experts of the retail market
For example, for some categories of goods price fluctuations can reach 100%. In the end it will lead to the fact that the basket can rise up to 30% from today’s value, the expert concluded.
“Recovery” minimum set of products — a good initiative, but it is unlikely to affect the quality of life, said a leading researcher of the laboratory of research for social development, Institute for social analysis and forecasting Ranhigs Alexander Polyakov. The consumer basket used in the calculation of the subsistence minimum and, consequently, the definition of poverty. This is not a reliable indicator, because not considered property component, the expert explained.
Note, in the new the may decree of President Vladimir Putin instructed to halve the level of poverty in the country.