A Calorie Is Not A Calorie (Price-Wise)

A High Price for Healthy Food
By TARA PARKER-POPE
December 5, 2007 12:46 pm

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/a-high-price-for-healthy-food/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=1


"The survey found that higher-calorie, energy-dense foods are the better bargain for cash-strapped shoppers. Energy-dense munchies cost on average $1.76 per 1,000 calories, compared with $18.16 per 1,000 calories for low-energy but nutritious foods.

The survey also showed that low-calorie foods were more likely to increase in price, surging 19.5 percent over the two-year study period. High-calorie foods remained a relative bargain, dropping in price by 1.8 percent.

Although people don’t knowingly shop for calories per se, the data show that it’s easier for low-income people to sustain themselves on junk food rather than fruits and vegetables, says the study’s lead author Adam Drewnowski, director of the center for public health nutrition at the University of Washington. Based on his findings, a 2,000-calorie diet would cost just $3.52 a day if it consisted of junk food, compared with $36.32 a day for a diet of low-energy dense foods. However, most people eat a mix of foods. The average American spends about $7 a day on food, although low-income people spend about $4, says Dr. Drewnowski.

But it’s easier to overeat junk food, Dr. Drewnowski adds, both because it tastes good and because eaters often must consume a greater volume in order to feel satisfied. Still, even those who consume twice as much in junk food calories are still spending far less than healthy eaters."

 

Commodity Policy and Agricultural Subsidies

http://www.yaleruddcenter.org/what_we_do.aspx?id=81

"In addition to making grains cheap, subsidies have led to an artificially low cost of meat (corn and soy are the central constituents of animal feed) and allowed the food industry to inexpensively sweeten a variety of foods with high fructose corn syrup. Given the popularity of burgers, chicken, and soft drinks in America’s fast-food-driven culture, the link between agricultural subsidies, poor diet, and obesity is evident.

Michael Pollan described this loop in a 2003 New York Times column: “When yields rise, the market is flooded with grain, and its price collapses. As a result, there is a surfeit of cheap calories that clever marketers sooner or later will figure out a way to induce us to consume.”

As society begins to recognize the connection between government subsidies and food culture, many public health advocates are calling for a change in direction for federal agricultural practices. The government recommends that a third of one’s diet should comprise fruit and vegetables, yet only 5 percent of USDA funding goes toward programs supporting fruit and vegetables. Balancing USDA spending could potentially lower the relative price of healthier food."