A Tasty Outrage: Healthy Is Becoming Less Affordable

by WiredBerries Editors — January 15, 2008

The price of fruits and vegetables is climbing faster than inflation, while junk food is actually becoming cheaper, the findings of a new study suggest. The University of Washington found that low-calorie, nutrient-rich foods, which are mainly fruits and vegetables, were far more expensive, calorie for calorie, than sweets and snack foods. Moreover, the average price of the lowest-calorie foods including green vegetables, tomatoes, and berries, increased by almost 20 percent over 2 years. In contrast, in the same time period, there was a 2-percent dip in the cost of the most calorie-laden fare, such as butter, potato chips, cookies and candy bars.

It makes one feel like screaming, "Why?! Why is the food industry so hell-bent on making us all obese and diabetic?!" But the problem isn't necessarily the health food manufacturers and retailers; it's more a matter of government policy. Healthy, organic foods, for example, which are often produced on small family farms, don't get government subsidies like the giant companies do. The US government subsidizes large corn, for example, and subsequently the high fructose corn syrup that is wrecking havoc on our health. Because it's subsidized, big business farmers can afford to sell it cheap to the junk food manufacturers who pass their unhealthy savings onto the consumer.

The findings, published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, highlight a key obstacle to healthy eating. And they may help explain why obesity rates are highest among the poorest Americans, according to the researchers. "Whereas (calorie)-dense foods remain the most affordable option, the price of the recommended healthful foods of lower (calorie) density has disproportionately increased," write Drs. Pablo Monsivais and Adam Drewnowski. They add that, along with encouraging Americans to change their personal behavior, the government may need to make policy shifts that help people eat more healthful foods, such as changes in the way the government subsidizes the agricultural business.