The Healthy Food debate
You know, as much as I want to support the removal of GST from 'healty foods' the more I seem to understand that it is a logistical nightmare.
Firstly. What defines healthy foods? As has been seen recently, McDonalds has introduced a range of foods that are healthier than their normal range, but they in themselves can be unhealthy. For example, from their healthy choice menu you can have 6 chicken McNuggets, (deep fried) and a side salad and water (or presumably a Diet/Coke Zero or Sprite). But at what point does eating chicken nuggets with their side sauce become unhealthy. Does 7 nuggets make it unhealthy?
Fruit itself can be unhealthy. The amount of sugar (albeit natural) in Oranges and other sweet fruit items can add to the problem, rather than prevent the issue, as it is the sugars that cause part of the problems.
If GST is removed off fruit for example, an obviously healthy choice, but say I add that fruit to Ice Cream (diet or not it doesn't matter, ice cream is ice cream), does it then become unhealthy? Green Bananas - Healthy. Green Bananas with Coconut cream? Ripe Bananas - Healthy. Ripe Banana's battered and deep fried or baked into a cheesecake or banana cake with cream cheese icing?
Apples off the tree for a snack is healthy, but the same apples baked into an apple pie or strawberries turned into jam. Everything that is healthy can be turned on its ear and into something unhealthy.
I would love to support the remove of GST off of healthy foods but that in itself is only part of the issue.
Access to physical activity is another. I would love to join a gym but the average cost is at minimum $15 a week, but even then it is more than if I pay out one lump sum. One local gym price for a one year membership is $675 for a one year membership. However there is a $15 a week direct debit option which would equate to almost $100 a year. Single entry is $12.50. There is also the desire that needs to be there for physical activity to be effective. So that also needs to step up as well.
Knowledge is also another weapon. The thing about fresh food, fruit and veges is being able to do things with them that don't remove the health benefits of eating them. You can cook a cabbage in a way that doesn't destroy the health benefits of it. Making a nice warm winter soup without boiling the nutritional value of the foods you use. Making a healthy pumpkin soup without the need for half a litre of cream to ruin it.
Its the latter idea that I think the government has lost the plot on scrapping the community education funding. Cooking classes for low budget meals. The sad irony is that the other night, a meal was cooked in our home. We did the general maths and came out to the cost of the meal being at something like $20-25. The thing about it is that the overall output of the meal could have fed twice what the number said it would. The other sad irony is, I could have gone to a local fish and chip store and spent $10 and got meal that while filling, would not have been healthy.
There is one possible avenue were I see scrapping the the GST off of fruit and veg may be manageable, and may benefit directly those whom this is being targeted. Some way the shops may be able to deduct the tax off of the purchase when a valid community services card or Gold card. Nothing new needs to be printed as cards already exist, and only a minor software change need be applied. Yes, the government will lose revenue and of course it will be gained from elsewhere which always creates problems.
The thing is, tax cuts or not, people are struggling. Its cheaper to buy a 2.25 litre of coke than it is to buy 2 litres of milk. Its generally cheaper to buy a dinner pack at KFC or a pack of fish and chips than it is to feed your family a nutritious meal every night. We impose levies and taxes on smokes and booze but when it comes to take something away that will make financial restrictions on something that is good for us...we hold fire faster than The Flash making logistical excuses.
There is surely something that can be done and it has to be done to address the financial imbalance that exists.
Firstly. What defines healthy foods? As has been seen recently, McDonalds has introduced a range of foods that are healthier than their normal range, but they in themselves can be unhealthy. For example, from their healthy choice menu you can have 6 chicken McNuggets, (deep fried) and a side salad and water (or presumably a Diet/Coke Zero or Sprite). But at what point does eating chicken nuggets with their side sauce become unhealthy. Does 7 nuggets make it unhealthy?
Fruit itself can be unhealthy. The amount of sugar (albeit natural) in Oranges and other sweet fruit items can add to the problem, rather than prevent the issue, as it is the sugars that cause part of the problems.
If GST is removed off fruit for example, an obviously healthy choice, but say I add that fruit to Ice Cream (diet or not it doesn't matter, ice cream is ice cream), does it then become unhealthy? Green Bananas - Healthy. Green Bananas with Coconut cream? Ripe Bananas - Healthy. Ripe Banana's battered and deep fried or baked into a cheesecake or banana cake with cream cheese icing?
Apples off the tree for a snack is healthy, but the same apples baked into an apple pie or strawberries turned into jam. Everything that is healthy can be turned on its ear and into something unhealthy.
I would love to support the remove of GST off of healthy foods but that in itself is only part of the issue.
Access to physical activity is another. I would love to join a gym but the average cost is at minimum $15 a week, but even then it is more than if I pay out one lump sum. One local gym price for a one year membership is $675 for a one year membership. However there is a $15 a week direct debit option which would equate to almost $100 a year. Single entry is $12.50. There is also the desire that needs to be there for physical activity to be effective. So that also needs to step up as well.
Knowledge is also another weapon. The thing about fresh food, fruit and veges is being able to do things with them that don't remove the health benefits of eating them. You can cook a cabbage in a way that doesn't destroy the health benefits of it. Making a nice warm winter soup without boiling the nutritional value of the foods you use. Making a healthy pumpkin soup without the need for half a litre of cream to ruin it.
Its the latter idea that I think the government has lost the plot on scrapping the community education funding. Cooking classes for low budget meals. The sad irony is that the other night, a meal was cooked in our home. We did the general maths and came out to the cost of the meal being at something like $20-25. The thing about it is that the overall output of the meal could have fed twice what the number said it would. The other sad irony is, I could have gone to a local fish and chip store and spent $10 and got meal that while filling, would not have been healthy.
There is one possible avenue were I see scrapping the the GST off of fruit and veg may be manageable, and may benefit directly those whom this is being targeted. Some way the shops may be able to deduct the tax off of the purchase when a valid community services card or Gold card. Nothing new needs to be printed as cards already exist, and only a minor software change need be applied. Yes, the government will lose revenue and of course it will be gained from elsewhere which always creates problems.
The thing is, tax cuts or not, people are struggling. Its cheaper to buy a 2.25 litre of coke than it is to buy 2 litres of milk. Its generally cheaper to buy a dinner pack at KFC or a pack of fish and chips than it is to feed your family a nutritious meal every night. We impose levies and taxes on smokes and booze but when it comes to take something away that will make financial restrictions on something that is good for us...we hold fire faster than The Flash making logistical excuses.
There is surely something that can be done and it has to be done to address the financial imbalance that exists.
Labels: GST, Healthy food
posted by Wiremu Bayliss at
11:07 am
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