Following a slash in the VAT rate on pork in 2016, consumption of the meat in Hungary has risen some 10%, to about 25 kilograms per capita annually, national news agency MTI cited Fazekas as saying. The VAT on pork was cut from 27% to 5% on January 1, 2016.

However, news portal index.hu labels the pork consumption growth as “scary,” quoting nutritionists who recommend people eat no more than 0.2 kilograms of pork per week, prepared carefully.

Calculated per year, this results in a maximum recommended consumption of around 10 kg per capita, well below the quantity boasted by Fazekas.

Pork contains high levels of fat and cholesterol. These, together with smoking, are held to be greatly responsible for heart and circulatory disease, among the main causes of death in Hungary.