Why is healthy food more expensive?!

2

Replies

  • strongmindstrongbody
    strongmindstrongbody Posts: 315 Member
    It does get more expensive sometimes. Went shopping yesterday and spent a little over $50 on produce alone. Most of it won't last more than a few days, so I'll have to make a mid-week trip to the store for more. But produce is an investment for our health, right? I'll keep scouting for sales and rein in the budget elsewhere.
  • This content has been removed.
  • 257_Lag
    257_Lag Posts: 1,249 Member
    Calorie for calorie I think it is more expensive. Think about it. $6 can buy you 1500 calories at McDonalds. I think you will be hard pressed to find 1500 calories in healthy food for $6 (just making these numbers up)

    Processed food has gotten where it is from companies competing for years. We can sell it cheaper if we add filler X or chemical Y says company A. Company B says, hey, if we add MSG we can increase the shelf life of our product making it cheaper per unit. And so on...

    Where as an orchard owner or farmer can't really reduce his cost. Year in and year out it costs X number of cents to produce and apple or raise a chicken.

    Just my opinion.
  • RobTheGourmet
    RobTheGourmet Posts: 189 Member
    Because they take longer to grow if organic maybe

    not true at all takes the same amount of time this idea is propaganda thrown out by big agri business
    its expensive more so because its true cost rather then hidden costs due to subsidization of corn and milk products by massive multi-nationals.

    just find products without Soy, Corn in them these 2 items are in nearly every prepared or processed food product in the US simply because the tax payer picks up the tab on these, so much so that in mexico it is cheaper to eat American corn then to grow it.

    so in a sense its simply the true cost of a product rather then a partial cost later taxed on you to finish the rest of the cost
  • This content has been removed.
  • HollisGrant
    HollisGrant Posts: 2,022 Member
    Calorie for calorie I think it is more expensive. Think about it. $6 can buy you 1500 calories at McDonalds. I think you will be hard pressed to find 1500 calories in healthy food for $6 (just making these numbers up)

    Processed food has gotten where it is from companies competing for years. We can sell it cheaper if we add filler X or chemical Y says company A. Company B says, hey, if we add MSG we can increase the shelf life of our product making it cheaper per unit. And so on...

    Where as an orchard owner or farmer can't really reduce his cost. Year in and year out it costs X number of cents to produce and apple or raise a chicken.

    Just my opinion.

    For $6, I can buy a bag of brown rice and 4 bags of lentils (almost 5).

    1 cup of rice: 220 calories
    1 cup of lentils: 230 calories

    1 bag of rice = 5 cups cooked
    1 bag of lentils = 4 cups cooked (x 4 - 16 cups)

    With my $6, I can get over 10 meals if I eat 1/2 cup of rice with 1 cup of lentils, with more lentils left over.

    Of course, I will add some onion, steamed greens, a carrot, etc., to make it palatable. Those things are not expensive. Collard greens cost $1.29 a pound, onions are 99 cents a pound.

    I have been eating this way since April of this year and my weight loss proves it works. I spend about $100 a month on food and eat all fresh vegetables and fruit.
  • lyndausvi
    lyndausvi Posts: 156 Member
    This issue can really be subjective.

    Our grocery bills are running about $80 per week for 2 people for mostly whole fruits, veggies, meats, yogurts. Our meats/fish are high quality and fresh (DH does not like frozen fish or meats) so that ups are bill and we are okay with that. I do not find fresh fruit and vegetables to be that expensive. Sure we could lower our bills buy eating more beans and other low cost bulk items, but fact is I'm not a bean or lentil fan (although I'm trying to acquire a taste). We live in a small apartment with an average size freezer. We can only cook so much in bulk to freeze. Another "problem" is DH is not a leftover fan and prefers to cook fresh meals daily. DH is not a fan of meal planning either (grr).


    Before starting this journey we ate out a lot. I would say we use to spend $150+ per week just on eating out. So while our grocery bill is higher our overall food budget is lower (as are our waists).

    We only started this journey a few months ago. It's a learning process. It takes a little while to figure out how to shop and eat more efficiently. One reason over the last few weeks our bills were higher was because Fage was on sale for $1. So we stocked up and have greek yogurt good until end of Aug. They also had chicken breasts on sale, so I bought extra to freeze for myself. In Aug our bills will go down because that's something we do not have to buy.

    Stick with it, you will figure it out.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I spend about $200 a week for 4 of us, although it doesn't count lunches for my husband, but it includes paper products and whatnot. Saving a lot compared to when I was buying a lot of junk, honestly.
  • Stargrace2
    Stargrace2 Posts: 48 Member
    Be sure to check out your local farmers markets! Fruits and veggies that are in season and locally grown are often MUCH cheaper than what you would find in your typical grocery store.

    I found that since eating better I have to go to 3-4 different smaller stores to get everything I want at a reasonable price but it's completely worth it rather than settling at one of the larger overpriced stores.

    Shopping in bulk for meat is great, though I don't have a lot of room. $25 for 10 chicken breasts at Costco, that lasts me two weeks right there. Of course your mileage may vary based on where you live, but don't be afraid to shop around.
  • Stephanieloseit
    Stephanieloseit Posts: 4 Member
    Food prices should be directly proportional to their caloric values.
  • NickeeCoco
    NickeeCoco Posts: 130
    If you have farmland around where you live (I mean, not in the city, but outside of it), check out the farmers. A lot of farmers are starting delivery programs now. A local farm sends us fresh produce and fruit bi-weekly. We get the biggest bin they have (there's only two of us), because my husband is a vegetarian and I cook everything from scratch. We also like to juice.

    For $45.00 bi-weekly we get (and this varies, it's what is in season):

    - garlic
    - green onions
    - cooking onions
    - 2 eggplant
    - 2 large zucchini
    - 2 lbs of green beans
    - 2lbs of yellow beans
    - two heads of leaf lettuce
    - 2 large bags of kale
    - five vine tomatoes
    - 1 quart of blueberries
    - 1 cantaloupe
    - 1 lbs of sweet peas
    - 2 lbs of potatoes
    - a dozen corn on the cob
    - 8 peaches
    - 8 nectarines

    Then, bi-weekly, I go to Costco and buy:

    - 1 package of pork loin chops - $13.50 (12 chops)
    - 1 large bottle of grapeseed oil - $10.00
    - 2 large containers of Greek yogurt - $6.50
    - 30 eggs - $6.00

    And once a month I go to the Bulk Bin and buy:

    - 1 large bag of dried black beans $5.00
    - 1 large bag of lentils $5.00

    That's a grand total of $172 a month on food. And we entertain a lot. I think that's pretty damn cheap, myself.
  • Witchdoctor58
    Witchdoctor58 Posts: 226 Member
    In the U.S., agribusiness is subsidized, so crappy ingredients like high fructose corn syrup and GMO products are much cheaper to produce. Corporate welfare including tax breaks and low minimum wages means that big business can produce absolute garbage cheaply, while smaller producers who don't have lobbyists don't get the breaks. Therefore, their products cost more.

    This is the economic basic for a lot of the junk food epidemic in the states. Obviously, this answer is simplistic, but it does explain much of what is happening with food supplies.
  • gigglybeth
    gigglybeth Posts: 365 Member
    I'm not saying I don't buy/eat it.. I just find it annoying its £1.50 for 8 oranges and 80p (UK Currency) for a pack of 30 chocolate biscuits! lol.. and this is at one of the cheapest supermarkets in the area! I know that was probably a poor comparison but there is so many examples.. I think I'm going to order online from now on! :laugh:

    If you are anything like me, you can eat the cookies in a day or two (OMG I used to be able to pop Chips Ahoy like nobody's business). It's going to take you much longer to eat 8 oranges. They're just more filling. Plus, oranges are out of season right now, so they're going to me more expensive because they have to be shipped in from somewhere else.
  • I do find fruits and vegetables to be much more expensive because I'm on a tight budget. If I can find a market by the sidewalk in NYC, I'm usually the first to check it out. I usually get a bag of bananas for a buck so it's not all bad. However, when I do crave turkey or Fish, I have to go to the supermarket where 2 salmon steaks are seven bucks -__-
  • jlahorn
    jlahorn Posts: 377 Member
    ..snip long list of great info...

    That's a grand total of $172 a month on food. And we entertain a lot. I think that's pretty damn cheap, myself.

    /applause

    Nice list, seriously.
  • ebgbjo
    ebgbjo Posts: 821 Member
    I feel your pain. We buy a lot of fruits and veggies and they are expensive here in New England compared to the last several states we have lived in. $5 for a pint of berries where half are already bad is insane! Brown eggs can run up to $4 a carton and don't even get me started on the 85/15 (yuck) beef starting at $5-6lb!

    We do frequent local farms and farmers markets, but their prices are pretty much on par with the grocery stores and after question a lot of them, they are bringing in products from all over the US and not just selling locally grown foods. Pretty disappointing really.

    We do spend a lot on food, A LOT more than I care to admit for a family of 3, but at least my husband can get his seafood (*gag*) super cheap here. A lobster runs cheaper than steak and burgers.
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    Unhealthy food is far more expensive. You lose days of work, have to buy bigger clothes and then go and buy pills, powders and promises to lose the weight.
  • I don't think 'healthier' food is more expensive. My family has just been hit with a temporary finical struggle and we're are being forced to eat more healthy because its cheaper. This week's grocery shopping consist of dry beans, rice,eggs, potatoes and got a couple bags of apples, got some veggies; broccoli, green beans (not canned, they were cheaper getting them fresh) and brussel sprouts, milk, cereal, and a huge box of the packet oatmeals and two cans of biscuits (I'm going to turn them into dumplings).

    Got enough to feed 5 people and it looks like its going to last longer then a week. It all came to around 67 dollars. Our groceries normally would come out to around a 120 dollars for a week and that's not counting the take out food we would get now and then.
  • This content has been removed.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I find it much cheaper. I'm not sure why people say it's more expensive. I always wonder what the definition of "healthy"means when people say this. I can buy a whole chicken for less than $5. I can then buy potatoes and carrots for another $5. I can eat that for a couple dinners and lunches, and then make soup with the leftover chicken and carcass. It's like a week of food for very little money.

    QFT....

    My grocery bill has gone down since I reduced my junk intake and increased my whole foods intake.
  • MzPix
    MzPix Posts: 177 Member
    I used to think this too but then I realized that I was using that as an excuse to eat crap because I was too lazy to grow, prep, cook, and store food in healthy ways.

    I think this is a HUGE conversation that needs to be taking place on a national or even global level. I don’t know how bad it has become in the UK, but here in the USA, it has become dogma to use poverty as an excuse for obesity and poor eating habits. Any time someone tries to speak out and say otherwise, they are villainized for those views. This conversation encompasses some very touchy and not politically correct topics that make people side-step the true issues. It involves everything from self-sufficiency to government subsidy to food tax to school lunch.

    I have some drastic points of view on the larger conversation, but I can reserve those for the proper forum. The bottom line is that either poor food choices or healthy food choices can be made on virtually any budget.

    P.S. - Currently, for our family (2 full time people and 2 part-time people in the home), the monthly grocery bill is less than $200.
  • I'm sorry OP, I didn't realize you are from the UK so I don't know if you could follow a grocery list like I had mention for myself since I have no idea what types of food is accessible or cost-wise over there.
  • corgicake
    corgicake Posts: 846 Member
    Chocolate isn't the only thing that goes on clearance, at least around here. I've been getting lunches at a grocery store about a block from work since I forget to pack food lately and they tend to have things like bean soups for $1 (American). Loaded with sodium, but still better than McDonald's.
  • sharonfoustmills
    sharonfoustmills Posts: 519 Member
    some of the healthy food is more expensive than cheap krap junk food, but you know what? I'm worth it. YOU ARE WORTH IT!

    buying chicken breast in large packs can really save you money, then just portion it into zip bags and freeze the extra to use later, always buy your zip bags at dollar tree store to save lots of money-- and guess what? Vegetable meat crumbles to put into recipes are now cheaper than any grade of ground beef
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I think the problem comes in when assuming that some foods are "unhealthy." I have found that when buying *mostly* single-ingredient foods and cooking things myself, we have saved about $100/month in groceries. But then, I don't buy anything that is marked "healthy" or "organic" on the package.
  • CookNLift
    CookNLift Posts: 3,660 Member
    it depends on where you shop. I get grass fed beef and vegetables at a little over the same price as shop rite sales. they cost more because there is more care put into growing your food (for some brands) and others its a marketing scheme, if you want to eat their so called "healthy" product it means it's "better" for you and you should pay more because they are making you believe they put more care into it.

    cost of goods manufactured has a lot to do with how some companies create their product, if cows are eating grass then it will cost more to make a profit because in many instances the diet for grass fed beef is more expensive than feeding them corn or grain based food.
  • shrinkingbrian
    shrinkingbrian Posts: 171 Member
    Bananas and carrots are pretty inexpensive. Potatoes, beans, and rice are also inexpensive. My food budget is about the same even though I am eating fewer calories. Buy the big bag of carrots and then wash and peel and cut up into small chunks. They make great snacks and you can pretty much eat as many as you want until you're full since they are not many calories.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I used to think this too but then I realized that I was using that as an excuse to eat crap because I was too lazy to grow, prep, cook, and store food in healthy ways.

    ^^ This too!
  • jess6742
    jess6742 Posts: 146
    I actually find it to be the opposite. Cooking everything from scratch and in bulk saves a lot of money. A lot of fruits and veggies are cheap and go a lot further than things like chips and cookies.
  • This content has been removed.