Why aren't healthier foods priced lower than junk foods?
pastorcaz
Posts: 7 Member
Have you noticed that most buy one get one free and special offers are on junk food and high in fats and sugar? We have an obesity problem in this country and the supermarkets and government are not helping the situation. Food is an addiction just like smoking and drinking, yet the amount of help available is nil in comparison. I've just started getting together with other people who need to lose weight. If the government are not going to support us then people need to get into small self help groups and support each other. I'm not prepared to pay the high prices of weight watchers and slimming world just to weigh in and talk about food when we can do that for nothing. Get like minded people together near you. I only mentioned it last Monday in our area and we have 9 already signed up to meet weekly and we have a FaceBook page called Ibs for £'s. Some of us are raising money for charities by getting sponsors too to give more incentive to slimming. Start a support group near you and write letters to the supermarkets and government asking for them to help the obesity issues that are draining the NHS in the country. Together we can make a difference.
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Replies
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i guess i can be happy to live in a place where gmo food isnt allowed to be old, and where fast food costs more than a normal lunch at a restaurant0
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Oh good grief :noway:0
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Id love to know were you go shopping. general rule of thumb is to avoid at all costs big name supermarkets like tescos, asda etc (in uk anyway) and go to lidl EVERYTHING is cheap in lidl veg considerably more so. or if all else fails to and find a local farmers market
Using junk food is cheaper is an invalid excuse because its not. You just need to shop around0 -
Not this one again. If you shop around prepare you own food avoid things like ready meals eating healthier foods is no more expensive. It just takes people to actually cook their own food and no cooking your own healthy meals doesn't tajke an age just google and there are plenty of cheap quick healthy meals that can be done. The problem though is people want the work done for them.0
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Not their responsibility. The choose is on you, me and everbody else to either buy or not buy.Have you noticed that most buy one get one free and special offers are on junk food and high in fats and sugar? We have an obesity problem in this country and the supermarkets and government are not helping the situation.
Food is not an addiction. People my be addicted to surgar or to fats, in general people are not addicted to food.Food is an addiction just like smoking and drinkingIf the government are not going to support us
They wont at the end of the day it is the people who choose to buy what they buy.. but don't worry, I predict that the government will tax higher the junk food.
You have no idea what weight waters is..I'm not prepared to pay the high prices of weight watchers and slimming world just to weigh in and talk about food when we can do that for nothing.0 -
If you are in the uk aldi sell a big range of fruit and veg each week for 39p and 69p! But even without that, i still save each week by not buying the crisps, biscuits and junk i used to buy, and cooking meals from scratch not using prepared sauces and things.0
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This is the way economics works.0
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What makes a food 'healthy' or 'unhealthy'?
For instance, there's all sorts of benefits to getting the right amount of fat.
It also tends to feel more 'filling'.
I would suggest food is an addiction like MFP. I spend too much time with both.
Never found alcohol addictive personally, so yes, like that too for me.
Or any other 'thing' that people like doing.0 -
I've saved lots of money in the past year, we don't go out to eat as often. I look for sales on everything else, shop at the farmers markets etc. Now that I am actually eating a smaller portion of items, this usually means there are leftovers, so that also helps with cost.
This is just one more excuse in the long list people use.
I also don't label anything as junk or bad, but that's a whole different discussion.0 -
I love how "Government must support us!" is the first resort, and "If government won't support us, maybe we should just make better decisions for ourselves" is second.0
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I love how "Government must support us!" is the first resort, and "If government won't support us, maybe we should just make better decisions for ourselves" is second.
I was staying away from the government part of it, cause my opinion on that would probably get me a strike0 -
I agree that healthy food is more expensive than fat laden foods. Look at the mcdonalds dollar menu-do u see a salad or French fries?? The fries win every time. I eat healthy with fresh foods, veggies, skinless chicken, fish etc but the coupons for this type of food are few and far in between. I look at ads for all our grocery stores just to find veggies in sale or other foods. It takes longer but worth it.0
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To answer the topic, not going to read the full question paragraph since there's no stops or breaks:
Because it's bulk-made making it cheaper,
because some 'junk' food isn't even really food,
because when making the 'junk' food, many ingredients are added, allowing 1 meal to be made from less of everything. (if that makes sense.)0 -
Even in supermarkets the prices aren't bad for fruit and veg. I did a weekly shop in Marks and Spencer recently and there were loads of deals on the fruits and vegetables and pretty much all of their salad was on buy one get one free or half price. Buying loose produce always seems to dramatically reduce cost as well.0
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OP you must be joking. :noway:0
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In answer to the topic question. They aren't!
Currently available at my local supermarket to feed a family of 4.
Easy 'junk' food
Pukka pies (on offer) x 4 = £4
McCain Chips = £2.60
Frozen peas = £1.50
Total = £8.10
Healthier option (homemade shepherds pie)
Lean mince = £4
Potatoes = £2
Carrots = 78p
Cabbage = 80p
Add 50p for stock cube and seasoning
Total £8.08
It really is possible to eat well cheaply, it is just used as an excuse. Shop around, and eat in season veg, and learn how to cook cheaper cuts of meat.0 -
Really? You control what you put in your cart, don't you? I've never gone to the store where they forced me to junk food in my cart.
The majority of my shopping is done around the perimeter of the store. I feed a family of 4 and our Bearded Dragon, Si for $25 or less a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner. When it is on sale I buy my chicken breast and pork in bulk and portion it out when I get home. And in the summer I grow my own veggies!
It is totally cheaper, you just have to want it and get rid of the excuses.0 -
Food is not an addiction.
Behavior becomes habit. You either make good habits or bad ones, but you always have the ability to make new ones by changing your behavior.
Less healthy and more processed foods have more sales and promotions because...someone's selling them and promoting them to make a profit.
Unprocessed whole foods have no such promo backing and often cost more to transport and store, so less profit.0 -
Have you noticed that most buy one get one free and special offers are on junk food and high in fats and sugar? We have an obesity problem in this country and the supermarkets and government are not helping the situation. Food is an addiction just like smoking and drinking, yet the amount of help available is nil in comparison. I've just started getting together with other people who need to lose weight. If the government are not going to support us then people need to get into small self help groups and support each other. I'm not prepared to pay the high prices of weight watchers and slimming world just to weigh in and talk about food when we can do that for nothing. Get like minded people together near you. I only mentioned it last Monday in our area and we have 9 already signed up to meet weekly and we have a FaceBook page called Ibs for £'s. Some of us are raising money for charities by getting sponsors too to give more incentive to slimming. Start a support group near you and write letters to the supermarkets and government asking for them to help the obesity issues that are draining the NHS in the country. Together we can make a difference.
I do understand what you mean..I think. .I live in the UK and can easily fall back into junk food eating and find it very difficult to keep my willpower in check in a supermarket. me and my partner often comment when in Asda or Tesco about the amount of special offers on primarily junk food e.g. bag of 100 chicken dippers for £1, bag of oven chips £1, large bars/bags of chocolate £1 and all these are situated at the end of aisles to get the most shoppers seeing them. Now I do believe that we are all able to chose what to buy, but if a mother is surrounded by her children asking for this sort of food it must be very difficult to keep saying no all the time. I do see some offers on fresh veg, fruit and meat but I can understand why someone who is struggling with money to resort to those things I mentioned earlier which may last at least 3 or 4 meals, instead of buying fresh chicken etc just for one meal. Even on special offers it can cost around £5 for 3 chicken breasts.....and all the time we're being told not to buy battery chicken etc but organic/free range is so expensive. I do buy organic as I can afford to, but there was a time when I was that mother having to provide hot meals on very little income. Do I spend less than £5 on main meals or at least double that....whilst having to pay out for everything else that children need. Some people don't have that luxury to choose.
Personally, I do feel addicted to food, even if it's not physically possible and I'm currently following a low carb/high fat approach and I'm reading as much as I can about sugar and nutrition to educate myself. I am among those who feel the government need to change their advice (same as Sweden) and start to pressure the food industry to make changes and one of those would be to make high added sugar foods not as discounted. I've noticed in the UK press this is getting quite a bit of air time at the moment so I'll be watching with interest.
A farmers market is great if you are close to one or have transport, but they are not available everywhere. We have one close to where I live which sells buffalo, venison and artisan foods....not what I'd call cheap meat and veg.0 -
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#1 thing is to not buy pre-packed fruit and vegetables. So if that means going to the supermarket and weighing out loose fruit and veg, do so. You're then not paying for the price of packaging, the fact that it's pre-prepared, washed etc.
If you possibly can, greengrocers, farmers markets, or travelling markets are fabulous and invariably cheaper.
Same with butchers and fishmongers.
Just make sure you ask about the quality of your product, and try to buy things that are seasonal - http://eatseasonably.co.uk/what-to-eat-now/calendar/
I also make a food diary - or nutrition plan - in advance, and buy things that correlate and stretch out. Unfortunately I only have supermarkets in my area, so planning like this is necessary to avoid waste and to stick to a budget. I cook for two and spend about £50 a week on food, this way.0 -
I don't try to save money on food. I eat what I like so I can adhere to my goals better. Now I might drive an extra forty miles to save 2 cents on a gallon of gas in my Excursion. Hmmm I guess my answer to why would be I dunno.0
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Let's see I have my receipt from this weekend's shopping nothing real expensive there.
3 whole chickens - $15 I roast them all on Sunday and now it's quick and easy for stir fry or sandwiches.
5 lb bag of potatoes - $3
Lettuce $ 1
Rice - $ 3
Mango - $1
Bananas I eat a lot of bananas so $ 3
Peanut Butter $ 2
Ice cream this is where I spent more $ 50 -
If I was a parent that cared about my kids health, that would make it even EASIER to say no.Now I do believe that we are all able to chose what to buy, but if a mother is surrounded by her children asking for this sort of food it must be very difficult to keep saying no all the time. I do see some offers on fresh veg, fruit and meat but I can understand why someone who is struggling with money to resort to those things I mentioned earlier which may last at least 3 or 4 meals, instead of buying fresh chicken etc just for one meal. Even on special offers it can cost around £5 for 3 chicken breasts.....and all the time we're being told not to buy battery chicken etc but organic/free range is so expensive. I do buy organic as I can afford to, but there was a time when I was that mother having to provide hot meals on very little income. Do I spend less than £5 on main meals or at least double that....whilst having to pay out for everything else that children need. Some people don't have that luxury to choose.
Perhaps that's why I'm not a parent
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Chicken breast is the most sort of after part of the chicken, of course it's going to be expensive.
If you're on low carb/high fat, then why go for meat that is expensive because it is LOW fat anyway?
Lots more options if you don't want lean cuts.
Or you can generally get lean cuts of turkey or pork pretty cheaply anyway.0 -
Free market economy.
Darn those businesses that want to make money so they can support themselves and pay their employees, and also the government that supports that initiative!!
BTW, I don't know about the UK, but in the US, but as retail places go, grocery stores don't have a huge profit margin. (Relatively speaking)0 -
Have you noticed that most buy one get one free and special offers are on junk food and high in fats and sugar? We have an obesity problem in this country and the supermarkets and government are not helping the situation. Food is an addiction just like smoking and drinking, yet the amount of help available is nil in comparison. I've just started getting together with other people who need to lose weight. If the government are not going to support us then people need to get into small self help groups and support each other. I'm not prepared to pay the high prices of weight watchers and slimming world just to weigh in and talk about food when we can do that for nothing. Get like minded people together near you. I only mentioned it last Monday in our area and we have 9 already signed up to meet weekly and we have a FaceBook page called Ibs for £'s. Some of us are raising money for charities by getting sponsors too to give more incentive to slimming. Start a support group near you and write letters to the supermarkets and government asking for them to help the obesity issues that are draining the NHS in the country. Together we can make a difference.
Some interesting points raised here.
"Have you noticed that most buy one get one free and special offers are on junk food and high in fats and sugar?"
Not necessarily. I frequently see offers on fruit and veg. Also, if you go to a local street market, fruit and veg can be MUCH cheaper. Compare the £2 punnet of strawberries I just saw in Tesco to the 90p punnet down the market. Ok the 90p punnet was a bit smaller, but the amount I would get in 2 punnets for £1.80 would trounce the Tesco £2 offering.
Also, food is a lot cheaper if you make it yourself. If you buy products which are ready made and designed to be healthy, manufacturers always put on what I call the 'health' tax. For example, on a documentary I watched last year, Weightwatchers products were compared against regularly branded alternatives. Crisps by WW contained no more nutrional value than other brands such as Walkers - they just came in a smaller packet, disguised under their nonsense Propoints scheme so they look healthier.
"Food is an addiction just like smoking and drinking, yet the amount of help available is nil in comparison"
Government has spent millions on schemes such as Weightwatchers (I hate WW so think this is a scandal). Smoking and drinking has been grossly taxed. Food hasnt. In fact, it has only been considered on fatty and sugary foods that tax should apply.
"Start a support group near you and write letters to the supermarkets and government asking for them to help the obesity issues that are draining the NHS"
Supermarkets have dramatically reduced salt in their products over the last decade or so. Furthermore, the labelling required regarding nutritional information has been made to increase.
Regarding the NHS, I would go to the extent that medical help such as bariatric surgery should be taken away for the sake of being obese. This is like giving a liver to an alcoholic, when resources are limited, with no guarantee that it would actually work.
Calling food an addiction is a get out clause. A lot of obesity complaints are driven by sentimental reasons, and why I accept that for example, bereavement, can understandably lead people to going off the rails, the way to lose weight and defeat obesity is to be tough with ones self. If you put on the weight, it is up to you to lose it. No amount of sob stories will ever work without productive action, however difficult a task losing weight is.0 -
wow this is an emotive issue :P0
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If I was a parent that cared about my kids health, that would make it even EASIER to say no.Now I do believe that we are all able to chose what to buy, but if a mother is surrounded by her children asking for this sort of food it must be very difficult to keep saying no all the time. I do see some offers on fresh veg, fruit and meat but I can understand why someone who is struggling with money to resort to those things I mentioned earlier which may last at least 3 or 4 meals, instead of buying fresh chicken etc just for one meal. Even on special offers it can cost around £5 for 3 chicken breasts.....and all the time we're being told not to buy battery chicken etc but organic/free range is so expensive. I do buy organic as I can afford to, but there was a time when I was that mother having to provide hot meals on very little income. Do I spend less than £5 on main meals or at least double that....whilst having to pay out for everything else that children need. Some people don't have that luxury to choose.
Perhaps that's why I'm not a parent.
Chicken breast is the most sort of after part of the chicken, of course it's going to be expensive.
If you're on low carb/high fat, then why go for meat that is expensive because it is LOW fat anyway?
Lots more options if you don't want lean cuts.
Or you can generally get lean cuts of turkey or pork pretty cheaply anyway.
Agreed on the chicken breast, I don't eat it now, but still know how much it costs.0 -
Not this one again. If you shop around prepare you own food avoid things like ready meals eating healthier foods is no more expensive. It just takes people to actually cook their own food and no cooking your own healthy meals doesn't tajke an age just google and there are plenty of cheap quick healthy meals that can be done. The problem though is people want the work done for them.
Exactly! Since I started bringing my own meals to work and not buying junk or fast food, I have saved SO MUCH MONEY! Example - this Sunday I made a big batch of brown rice and black beans to bring in for lunch to eat with spinach. The brown rice was about $2.00 for a two pound bag. Two cans of black beans was $2.50. The bag of spinach was about $3.50. So the total comes out to $8.00, which provides five days of healthy lunches. That's $1.60 a day - think you can find something nearly as satisfying in the junk food aisle for that much? And those are grocery store prices - go to a farmer's market or a smaller store and you'll find even better prices.0 -
Ummm what? LOL
You need to buy from a growers market and then you will understand how cheap it is to eat real fresh food.
I think the issue is the people eating garbage like maccas think its a cheap quick fix compared to eating a healthy premade fresh meal but it's actually cheaper to go and get your own food and make it.
I use to make the excuse all the time.. "Oh but rich people can afford to be fit" It's a load of poop. I have a jar of all the money i have saved eating healthier and i have enough to buy a semi pro camera and a holiday which i'm doing in march. People really need to get off their behinds and look for cheap deals, cook their own foods, and start going to places which sell these cheaper food and buy in bulk. You can also lose weight eating unhealthy foods...Cals in and out. I lost my first 20lbs eating mei goreng.
It really isnt that much more expensive to buy and cook and eat healthy. The priceyness comes from organic and conflict free foods. I buy those items day old and on clearence. Durring the summer I can get fresh veggies right from the farm stands. Think about spending 10 - 15 bucks at McDonalds for two people then take that money to the groceries store and you can double the food you get and it will be much better quality and healthier.
A bag of chips costs 3 - 5 dollars. I can get a five pound bag of potatoes for that price and make my own chips that will be lesser in calories, preservative free, and tastier!
Yup, this. When I was broke in college, I could live off of about $40 a month in food if I didn't eat out by buying bulk lentils, beans, rice, and frozen veggies for the basis for a bulk of my meals (for the record, I lived in one of those midwest rust belt towns, so things were REALLY cheap). It's all about preparation.0
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