Real Price of Food: Food for Thought.

“Ugh, I hate grocery shopping,” complained my dental hygienist. “I want to buy the healthy food but it’s so much more expensive than the crap.”

I realize that this is the perception of so many Americans. Although I frequent Whole Foods, I typically stick to a list or create a budget before heading over. After all, “Whole Paycheck” is the infamous knock that ain’t so far from the truth.

Do I shop at Whole Foods or farmer’s markets 100% of the time? No. But I’ve been thinking a lot lately about  the “cost” of food versus the cost of “food.”

The Cost of Cheap Food

Americans spend around 6 – 13% of their income on food. Yet in 1963, food costs were 1/3 or 33% of a worker’s paycheck. Why is there a reduction in price?

What’s goes into that sticker price on the shelf? By the time a food item gets to your grocery store, someone had to grow or obtain the ingredients, care for the food,  create it, package and add labels, ship it to the store and sell it to the merchant. By the time that’s all said and done, many people have influenced how your food is in that aisle.

The “healthy stuff’, i.e. produce and purer food companies may have smaller budgets, pay for higher quality ingredients or produce a lower quantity.

And the cheap ‘unhealthy’ food? Much of processed food containers fillers, substitutes and chemicals… i.e. crap.  The farm bill & agriculture bills subsidize unhealthy foods. Plus, preservatives are added to keep those everlasting shelf lives at conventional grocery stores. Like how Twinkies just extended their shelf life to 45 days?! What did they put IN there?!

Another component: labor. Who was making your food? A local artisan or farmer? A corporation producing thousands of identical snacks? Was an illegal immigrant spraying pesticides on your food and paid under the table?

When you go to Farmer’s Markets, you’ll still see some price tags that may average higher. But you’re meeting the producers of your delicious, edible and fresher foods. Did we mention you’ll get more nutrients, too?

If the price of healthy food is more ‘expensive’, is it worthwhile?

Your food is your energy and what your body depends on to stay healthy, fight illnesses and even determine your mood.

Unhealthy food have many more costly effects in the long run: from obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and much more.

What would you rather spend your money on?

 

Photo: Bubblevews