Hysteria Over Double Standards Inward Nutrient Products

The media inward much of post-communist Europe are obsessed amongst a stylish theme – the observed double standards inward nutrient products. Transnational companies sell their products – inward identical packages – inward many countries but the composition is sometimes different. See e.g. this Reuters story close the panic inward Republic of Bulgaria or approximately other one close Czechia (or a test reported inward Radio Prague EN).

We're oftentimes calling ourselves the "dumping Earth of Europe" together with materials similar that. I believe that all this anxiety is painful. What makes us dissimilar is that approximately of us – together with our politicians – all the same await the governments together with fifty-fifty the European Union to dictate what citizens should eat together with what nutrient producers should offering them.




The anxiety together with calls for the European Union to "make us equal" completely ignore for certain principles that I consider fundamentally of import inward this debate:

1. consumers should bring the correct to pick out what they desire together with producers should bring the correct to offering the salubrious together with legal plenty products they want
2. different nations volition assign dissimilar importance to the depression cost of the products
3. different nations may bring differences inward their preferred taste, without beingness able to order which ane is objectively "better"
4. different nations bring dissimilar inputs together with technologies together with hence for certain things bring to hold out done differently
5. sometimes, whenever a departure betwixt products inward 2 national markets is found, it's beingness assumed past times the paranoid people that "we bring the worse ones". But "different" isn't the same thing as "worse" together with inward approximately cases (e.g. coffee), nosotros tin run across that products sold hither are genuinely better
6. the differences solely impact a tiny pct of internationally sold products, close 1% or less

The overall sentiment that the European Union should guarantee that the same nutrient is sold inward all of Europe is only a sick illustration of totalitarianism inward my eyes. The paranoid people consider this "equality" to hold out their mind "principle". Well, it's also bad when mortal builds on such inherently international Bolshevik principles.




Let me order a few to a greater extent than words close this "affair". The seat out of products where the differences bring been observed seems real express to me. In particular, fish fingers are mentioned all the time, together with and hence is luncheon meat.

In products sold inward the post-communist Europe, the pct of marrow tends to hold out somewhat lower patch it is sometimes or partly replaced amongst mechanically separated meat. The consequence is sometimes a lower cost or higher profits of the nutrient producers or distributors.

Well, if the mechanically separated marrow is salubrious together with condom enough, it seems totally plausible to me that consumers such as Czechs volition genuinely prefer it, or they volition at to the lowest degree non intend that truthful marrow is together with hence much better.

There are other differences that are sometimes quoted. Our captain who has the fancy eating seat told us that the pepper, garlic, onion bought inward Republic of Austria or Deutschland has a stronger taste. I can't verify it but fifty-fifty if it is true, it may bring real proficient reasons. Czechs are used to somewhat "dull" food. If the Indians together with Mexicans tend to extremely overspice their food, I intend that the Czechs bring traditionally stood on the exact contrary of this quantity. It's been normal non to seat whatever spice inward nutrient at all.

If the consumers are honestly informed close the composition of the nutrient together with if the nutrient passes the tests of safety, limits on the content of chemicals that aren't healthy, together with things similar that, everything else should hold out left to the liberty of the consumers together with producers, to the supply, demand, together with contest inward the markets. I divulge whatever other approach a sign of an anti-market hysteria.

The fact that the Czech authorities struggles for a "consistent lineament of nutrient across Europe" looks peculiarly bizarre for our acre that has previously fought for the correct to role the term "domestic rum" for our traditional rum – which is an guild of magnitude cheaper than the "real rum" – together with the "butter spread" for our butter spread that is clearly a cheaper cousin of truthful butter. These are specific products that are peculiarly strongly sold on the Czech market. So why couldn't transnational companies effort together with sell their ain special products designed for the Czech consumers?

They bring to brand a lucre together with hold out for certain that it's large enough. The composition must hold out proficient plenty for the sense of savor of many Czech consumers together with the cost must hold out depression plenty together with hence that approximately cheaper contest doesn't completely defeat them. And yes, fifty-fifty when Czechs got wealthier, they all the same pay to a greater extent than attending to the depression cost than other nations. People normally order that it's because "we're scum" but I don't genuinely run across it inward this way. It's to a greater extent than oftentimes than non because nosotros are to a greater extent than rational. In many cases, the cheaper products terminate upwardly beingness as good, anyway. All these things are legitimate processes inward the costless markets. The final result of these processes together with contest struggle isn't known or shouldn't hold out known from the outset together with most importantly, the results may hold out dissimilar inward dissimilar national markets.

So I am annoyed past times this paranoia that the post-communist European governments bring largely adopted. I intend that it is this paranoia together with mistrust inward the costless markets, together with non the existent or hypothetical reduction of lineament of the nutrient products, that makes us less Western.

I only watched a TV struggle where Mr Petr Havel of the newly founded right-wing political party of "Realists" was proverb the same things as I did – together with and hence did the TV host, to a large extent, together with a create who spoke at the end. (Faltýnek, the #2 from Babiš's asset together with his ANO party, was defending the sentiment that the European Union has to brand all nutrient products uniform across the continent.) Realists would hold out an OK plenty political party for me – I am only afraid that it has no gamble to larn to the Parliament which is why I may avoid the experiment of voting for them.