Grocery basket: legislative regulation of consumption level

To determine the minimum amount of money that a certain person or family can live for a month, the concept of a consumer basket was introduced. It is also used to compare real and calculated levels of purchase of certain goods, calculate the level of inflation and determine the purchasing power of each currency.

Legislative regulation

Before determining the cost of the consumer basket, you need to find out its composition. It is from the number of products included in it and the prices for them that it will depend on how much money it is necessary to spend each for living. The composition of this basket is approved by the corresponding federal law from 2012 for three main groups of the population: able-bodied people, children and pensioners.

The food basket for Russian citizens consists of 11 items. Separately stated that the cost of non-food products is set at 50% of the cost of food, the same percentage is determined for services. But in previous legislative acts, the necessary norms were calculated for paying for services, buying clothes and basic necessities.

Minimal set of products

At the federal level, the minimum number of products that should be consumed by different categories of the population per year was determined. So, the law establishes such norms for children, pensioners and able-bodied population.

The annual nutritional set for each resident of Russia looks like this. The grocery basket looks the same for a month. Its composition is no different, just the number of products from each category can be divided by 12, and you will learn how much to eat meat or bread within 30 days. By the way, if you think that the tables are given too large and unrealistic figures, then to determine the average daily rate, simply divide each of the indicators by 365. So you will learn that a day an adult can eat about 275 grams of potatoes, 300 other vegetables and A little more than half the eggs. The daily norm of meat is 160, and the fish - 50 grams. True, in certain regions the set of its components may differ.

How is the basket defined?

Looking at what includes a grocery basket, many are perplexed. They are interested in what legislators emanate from when, for example, they allocate for a child 88, and for a retired 80 kg of potatoes. To understand this, it is necessary to understand how it is compiled. First of all, please note that it must be updated at the legislative level no less than once every 5 years.

When updating the basket, its biological and, of course, nutritional value is taken into account. It is believed that each new set of products should be better and more useful than the previous one. That is why at the legislative level, more meat, milk, fish products and eggs, fruits and various vegetables are laid in it. But the share of potatoes, grain products, fats is gradually decreasing.

Also, the food basket takes into account the content of fats, carbohydrates and proteins, and the amount of kcal in it is determined. These indicators must necessarily correspond to the norms established for each of the categories of the population.

Why do I need a shopping basket?

In many countries it is customary to determine the minimum set of products and goods that are necessary for living. Based on its value, the minimum estimated amount for which a person can live is calculated. Of course, the established set is more theoretical in nature, because it is not enough for a full life. The subsistence minimum and the consumer basket are two interrelated concepts, because the first indicator is determined based on the cost of the second one.

It is the subsistence minimum that is taken as a basis for calculating various social benefits, determining the amount of benefits and other payments. At the cost of the consumer basket it is easy to determine the level of inflation, it is enough to calculate how much it has grown over the billing period.

Can I live at the estimated amount?

Seeing the composition and cost of the food set, the allocated amount for services and other non-food items, many are interested in whether it is realistic to survive a month on such a ration. If you decide on such an experiment, then keep in mind that many habits will have to be abandoned. For example, the food basket does not include alcohol. For a given amount you are unlikely to be able to purchase overseas fruit, you will have to be content with the cheapest apples, although in winter they will become something unattainable.

The subsistence minimum does not expect that you want to develop culturally, so going to the movies, museums or theaters are also prohibited. At the same time, please note that you need to pay for utilities, postpone a certain amount for global purchases (and this includes, among other things, buying outerwear and shoes).

Thus, the calculated value of the consumer basket for 2014 is 6300 rubles for an adult, 6400 for a child, and 5,400 for a pensioner.