Why aren't healthier foods priced lower than junk foods?
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Ridiculous topic.
Sugar and High fat foods are not why we have an obesity problem.
We have an obesity problem because you don't know when enough is enough.0 -
Lidls veg is often British, too (presumably because it is 'budget' and it costs less than importing it). They also do a better job than the big supermarkets in offering British meats.0
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I wouldn't completely disregard what the OP is saying. After all, living in an environment that doesn't support healthy living does have an impact on people. If not, how come in places considered to be food deserts (poor neighborhoods with only corner stores like 7eleven) obesity rates are higher? A lot more could be done in this regard. Good job, OP, on doing something about it.0
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I wouldn't completely disregard what the OP is saying. After all, living in an environment that doesn't support healthy living does have an impact on people. If not, how come in places considered to be food deserts (poor neighborhoods with only corner stores like 7eleven) obesity rates are higher? A lot more could be done in this regard. Good job, OP, on doing something about it.
I could eat foods only from a 7eleven and not gain weight, what is your point? Your ignorance astounds me.0 -
Eh, better ingredients cost more = higher price.
If I'm buying packaged foods I don't buy things with fake colors or flavors which are cheaper to produce, so since I buy things with more expensive ingredient the end cost is higher.
I used to be a Formulation Chemist for Personal Care Products and I ran into this all the time from companies.
"Make me a lotion" I make the lotion. "Great, we LOVE the lotion, now make it cheaper but make it feel the same way". So I would have to replace all the nice good things in it for cheap crap. And even the mid stuff like Bliss and Sephora doesn't cost that much per ounce. And they mark it up like hella.
Shop at Farmers Market. I eat healthy and my boyfriend doesn't. I spend less on more food than he does.0 -
I wouldn't completely disregard what the OP is saying. After all, living in an environment that doesn't support healthy living does have an impact on people. If not, how come in places considered to be food deserts (poor neighborhoods with only corner stores like 7eleven) obesity rates are higher? A lot more could be done in this regard. Good job, OP, on doing something about it.
I could eat foods only from a 7eleven and not gain weight, what is your point? Your ignorance astounds me.
Many 7elevens have better options than some of the corner stores in areas I've been stuck in.
I applaud the efforts of private organizations that work towards bringing more variety and better options to people who live in food desert areas.
Those areas aren't good places to raise kids.0 -
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.
Alternatively, participate in the economy and buy from other places.
I have an organic veg and fruit box delivered every week, fairly low cost and reasonably locally sourced. I can also source meat from there, with solid provenance on the product so I can be confident around the animal welfare aspect.
It's not the role of the government to dictate buying patterns,0 -
I agree it can be more expensive to buy healthier food and we don't all have the luxury of being able to shop at Farmer's markets or just nipping to Lidl or Aldi, however there are ways around it but I do think people should stop being so quick to judge about people's abilities to get to these places.
I've found a greengrocer in a neighbouring part of my city who is happy to deliver fruit and veg to your door and he promotes it through facebook so its worth looking for something like that. I also keep bags of frozen veg in the freezer (which is a damn sight healthier than veg that has been left lying around for days) and you can pick these up for around £1 each. Great for a quick mid-week meal if you can't get to the shops.
Every 2-3 weeks I buy a ham joint when the meat is on offer in the supermarket and boil it up to make a big pan of broth with leeks, carrots, swede, barley and split peas and some of the meat then the rest goes into sandwiches for my husband and children for a couple of days afterwards0 -
I wouldn't completely disregard what the OP is saying. After all, living in an environment that doesn't support healthy living does have an impact on people. If not, how come in places considered to be food deserts (poor neighborhoods with only corner stores like 7eleven) obesity rates are higher? A lot more could be done in this regard. Good job, OP, on doing something about it.
Yes, but why is it that when something goes wrong it is ALWAYS the governments fault. Isnt the clearly obvious detrimental effects of diabetes and other obesity related diseases enough to incentivise people about their health? If it isnt, then why should the tax payer fund it? The taxpayer already funds enough people as it is...0 -
Ah, the formula to success: find someone else to blame for your problems.0
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The premise is BS.0
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I think you will find food is now acknowledged as an addiction. Watch the news this morning, plus it's not just sugar, it's far more than that0
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I'm glad you can afford to have delivered organic food. Not everyone can0
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I think you will find food is now acknowledged as an addiction. Watch the news this morning, plus it's not just sugar, it's far more than that
I guess because the TV says so, it must be true. :huh:
I'm waiting for the day a recovering drug addict joins MFP and puts all of these "food is an addiction" statements in perspective.0 -
I'm glad you can afford to have delivered organic food. Not everyone can
Cheaper than buying at the supermarket.0 -
I heard water was an addiction too..........if we don't get it every 3 days we will die.0
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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.
How and why should the Government "support" and "help" the situation? By putting more labels on foods? By doing a survey and saying "Well, you are obese and your kids are obese therefore you're only allowed to buy this kind of food."
Who is going to fund the "support" and "help" from the Government?
The information is out there people just choose not to read it or use it. More Government control is never the answer.0 -
While most press has been jumping on the anti-sugar fad (including the guardian), there was one good article in there which mentioned "do people know that fizzy drink and mars bars haver a lot of sugar in?" And of course, most people do.
They might not know tomato soup has that much sugar in it, but it doesn't actually have that many calories, so not a big thing to worry about to my mind.0 -
I think you will find food is now acknowledged as an addiction. Watch the news this morning, plus it's not just sugar, it's far more than that
No, it's not. It's a bad habit with a plethora of causes, but it's not an addiction - even if TV tells you so to make you feel a certain way. Televisions are for entertainment, not diagnosing mental disorders or physical dependence.
A body becomes accustomed to the results of lifestyle habits. It is preprogrammed to preserve life by defaulting to a status quo and avoiding drastic changes.0 -
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.
How and why should the Government "support" and "help" the situation? By putting more labels on foods? By doing a survey and saying "Well, you are obese and your kids are obese therefore you're only allowed to buy this kind of food."
Who is going to fund the "support" and "help" from the Government?
The information is out there people just choose not to read it or use it. More Government control is never the answer.
total government control is not an answer, but total government perversion to benefit food manufactuers doesnt seem to be working out well either - except for the folks selling the food.0 -
They changed the recipe for Pot Noodles to reduce salt and/or sugar, and now they taste like bum.
I don't eat them any more.
Same with baked beans, and a variety of other things.
Fair enough, if you're eating 4 tins of baked beans a day, the fact they had 25% of your RDA of salt, or 30% of your RDA of sugar would be a problem.
But a single portion, as part of a healthy and varied diet, is not a problem.
People need more variety in their diets.0 -
It's not the removal of items, the problem is the fillers they add in their stead.
Look at all the folks who fall victim to "low fat" foods which just get more calories from carb fillers.0 -
Commoditization.
/endthread0 -
It's not the removal of items, the problem is the fillers they add in their stead.
Look at all the folks who fall victim to "low fat" foods which just get more calories from carb fillers.
And yet all those things are on the label. It's not some big secret what's in a can of food.0 -
It's not the removal of items, the problem is the fillers they add in their stead.
Look at all the folks who fall victim to "low fat" foods which just get more calories from carb fillers.
And yet all those things are on the label. It's not some big secret what's in a can of food.
Of course not. The problem is the buying food in a can to start.
That said, unless you make every single sauce and flavoring yourself, from scratch, it's now quite difficult to avoid things that 10 years ago were easy to avoid.
The U.S. has actually subsidized itself into a food realm of many options but few actual choices.0 -
I've saved about $100/month just for myself buying healthier things and using portion control. Healthier foods only seem more expensive up front because people only look at the cost of the whole rather than how much each meal will cost when they make it and portion it out.0
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It's not the removal of items, the problem is the fillers they add in their stead.
Look at all the folks who fall victim to "low fat" foods which just get more calories from carb fillers.
And yet all those things are on the label. It's not some big secret what's in a can of food.
Of course not. The problem is the buying food in a can to start.
That said, unless you make every single sauce and flavoring yourself, from scratch, it's now quite difficult to avoid things that 10 years ago were easy to avoid.
The U.S. has actually subsidized itself into a food realm of many options but few actual choices.
What choices do you lack?0 -
The problem is the buying food in a can to start.
There is nothing wrong with canned foods.
The problem is not keeping track of what you're eating and how much of it you're eating.
I can eat bolognese in a can every day of the week for cheap and still lose weight and get healthy.0 -
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 restaurant
Just where in the world is this Utopia?0 -
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