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Abstract
The obesity crisis proclaimed by the World Health Organization,
along with all its health consequences, started in the Russian
Federation at the beginning of the millennium. This fact is gaining
increasing significance against the background of the "tax
on unhealthy foods" that is currently being discussed in Russia
and is the result of changing lifestyle and nutritional habits. Rising
economic growth and private incomes in Russia have brought
about an increase in the consumption of high-fat animal products,
and the health of many citizens is jeopardized by an increased
risk of adiposity and diet-related chronic diseases. At
the same time, health-related diets have improved in terms of
vitamin and mineral intake. These two opposing developments
are typically also found in other industrial and emerging economies,
though in a more distinctive form in the Russian Federation.
The underlying reasons appear to be traditionally rather
high preferences for high-fat animal products in Russian society,
but also, similar to many other countries, inadequate nutrition
information. Hence, better-targeted information campaigns
and clear product labelling could pave the way to healthier
eating.