What A Week Of Groceries Looks Like Around The World

I saw this at a BodyWorlds exhibit about a year ago, although the Canadian picture was different. This picture seems more realistic. The picture they had I don't think was a true image of the average Canadian's diet.

What did the Canadian pic at BodyWorld look like?

I tried to find the picture and couldn't. Basically they didn't have any prepackaged stuff, or very little of it at all. I remember the description underneath reading that the Canadian family lived in a self-built straw bale home if that gives you an idea. Probably not the average Canadian family.

I did find this - they list the prices each family paid.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2319825/The-great-global-food-gap-Families-world-photographed-weekly-shopping-reveal-cost-ranges-3-20-320.html

A self-built straw ball home? Doesn't the average Canadian live in an igloo :P In all seriousness that is not your typical Canadian lifestyle.

I checked out the link. The Canadian family is from Iqaluit. So their food costs are probably significantly higher than the rest of Canada. It's also funny how the "bad" stuff is hidden further away on the counter behind them.

Anyone stop and think there is a reason Americans tend to choose pre-packaged, processed foods OTHER than they simply do not know any better? Maybe it's the cost of living here. Maybe it's because of the rate of single parent households. Maybe it's the fact that even as a 2 parent household... both parents still maintain 1-2 full time jobs. Canadians have a baby and take the whole year off. Americans have a baby and (speaking from experience) may have to be back at work the very next WEEK! If we were more like other countries in that regard, perhaps we would make the same food choices and be able to prepare more meals from home. Just a thought. It's not always from laziness and over-indulgence.

A great post! :drinker:

Good thread. Interesting to see the photos.

Now they need to take a pic of what and how much food is thrown away at the end of the week.

Wow!

Interesting post. It's no wonder diabetes runs rampant in our country. As someone who works in a grocery store it blows my mind to see what crap people put in their carts such as several 2 liter soda bottles and a weeks worth of frozen pizzas not to mention bags of chips. I will give a pass to those gearing up for a party but I have a feeling that these are everyday choices that are being made

The American pictures are interesting to see. We don't eat anything like that and never have. I'm also surprised to see the amount of bread consumption around the world. People eat a whole lot more bread than my family does. Even the American family with the "healthier" diet doesn't have enough veggies for a week. It's kind of telling. I know lots of families that eat the way pictured in the pic with the 2 pizzas. I have no doubt that this is typical.

The Japan picture shows a lot of processed foods, but is not accurate from what I know about eating lots and lots of meals with Japanese families. Most families don't have full kitchens and eat at least one meal out a day, usually from a convenience store. If they stacked up 16 big bowls of ramen and several containers of rice au gratin plus a few pre-packaged spaghetti dinners, plus alcohol, it would be way more accurate. Also, the cooking of fish at home isn't quite like that. Most people buy pre-made fish products in the grocery store deli case because it's just easier than trying to cook that at home without a real kitchen to work with. They also need to stack about 50 containers of Starbucks in that picture because the lines always snaked out the door to coffee houses, even in more remote areas.

I'm surprised by the soda consumption around the world. Also interesting that in the US, they leave the soda in the fast food containers but in the bottles in other countries. Every country in the world (except N. Korea) has McDonald's and lots of other fast food places. And they're always packed.

That's for a week, huh? Even when I lived at home so many years ago and there were 4 boys plus mom and dad, I don't think we had that much food in a week AND I know for a fact that picture is not a good representation of what we ate.

... the fattest family with the heaviest children was from Mexico. Not surprised their main source of fluid is Coke.

Well, they do have to wash down that entire bag of potatoes.