In Russia, they proposed to introduce an excise tax on chips and ban their sale to children.

Chips are proposed to be made an excisable product, while prohibiting its sale to minors. Oleg Pavlov, head of the Public Council at Rospotrebnadzor, addressed this initiative to Mikhail Mishustin, Chairman of the Government. The amount of the excise tax can be set at 20% of the value of the goods, he explained to Izvestia.

In the document, he reports that back in 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended reducing or banning the consumption of foods rich in trans fats, which include chips.

According to the organization, consumption of trans fats leads to the development of coronary heart disease, which causes up to 500,000 premature deaths worldwide every year. And in 2023, Oleg Pavlov notes, WHO put chips at the top of the list of the most harmful products.

In addition, the head of the Public Council at Rospotrebnadzor recalled the measures that the Russian government has already taken to combat "harmful" food. Since 2023, sugar-containing beverages have been subject to excise duty. And since October of the same year, the value—added tax rate on hamburgers, sandwiches, cheeseburgers and other similar dishes has increased from 10% to 20%.

Read more in the exclusive Izvestia article:

A similar motive: in Russia, they propose to introduce an excise tax on chips