Food: Are We Paying Too Much?
When you move from traditional (i.e. carb-heavy, processed, fast, or fatty) foods to more healthier ones, you notice a change in food costs. Fruit and vegetables cost more than donuts. A McDonald's salad costs more than an entire Big Mac combo.
These costs can make us frustrated - "Why does it cost so much for good food?". Perhaps it's not so much that healthy food is expensive, but that many processed foods are very cheap.
There is an interesting graph (link to picture here) that shows the falling costs of food (compared with household income). Between 1935 and 1997 the percentage of income spend on food went from 34% to 16%. In other words while other costs have remained similar (or even gone up), food has got a lot cheaper.
Jarret Meyers Blog talks about how food manufacturers have been absorbing many price increases rather than passing them onto the consumer:
Soy, dairy, and wheat went through the roof in costs... ...The baking industry ate this cost, no pun intended. Consumers did not pay for a 30 - 50% increase in baked goods. In fact, the consumer reflection was much closer to 3%.
The next time you buy good food, keep these thoughts in mind. Food that is good for your body costs. It's all a matter of priorities really. However for those on very low incomes, it can put real pressure on food choices. It's not surprising there is a correlation between obesity and income levels.
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