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People are more likely to buy what appeals to their taste buds and although my family prefers organics, you have to admit that hamburgers and fries are pretty good. There doesn’t seem to be as much of a demand for organics or very many companies supplying organics. In order to make a profit, prices probably have to be ridiculously high. One way we could lower prices would be to demand more organics. This would create new companies and increase competition. (If that didn’t make sense..it’s because it’s winter break and my brain isn’t working very well) We need to keep spreading the word about the benefits of organics.

By the way… Happy New Years!

I agree that food that is less healthier than others like chips, soda, and cheeseburgers get more plublicity than others. Becuase of this they sell more and therefore produce more profit then others. The money made by selling the items must make up for the cost of producing and distributing them. This also happens to be a process that is quicker than growing and maintaining fruits and vegetables. So its understandable that food companies are going to put more effort into promoting their “best sellers” and not the items that hardly leave the shelves in grocery stores.

I think that is a good idea to purchase foods that are whole and unproccessed especially in terms of content. Its unbelievable the things that food companies try to pass off as snacks or meals. Like Pringles for example. How in the world do you get a simple potatoe chip to taste just like a baked potatoe with all the trimmings or pizza? However it is done somoeone has managed to make a monopoly off of an incredibly unhealthy snack.

I have 7 brothers and sisters and one roomate plus my mom in our home. My sister and I have expressed a desire for more whole foods but my mom considers it alot more effective and cheap to buy what my brothers will eat and not what they will just throw in the trash. We get a fair share of healthy food and for the most part everyone is happy.

The reason the healthy foods are expensive in comparison to manufactured foods (fast-food) is because they are just that, non-manufactured all natural products. The process in producing such goods is a much heavier load then being able to control how the goods are made in the cheapest fastest way possible. The one conclusion out of the whole argument we can make is that cheap food is worse for your body, expensive food is good for your body, and that’s all we can say. The fact is organic productions will not work for cheaper or else they won’t make a profit while artificial manufactures reap the benefits in an obesity stricken society. Whether it’s fair or not may be argued but nothing can or will change unless desperate measures are taken against the artificial food industries.

My dad overuses the quote “Life isnt fair,”
and I am unfortunately confronted with the validity of this everyday.

Is is fair that healthier food is more expensive, no, but thats life. Not as healthy food is obviously less costly to produce, so as consumers I dont think there is much that we can do about it. The solution lies within a cheaper production method.

Your grocery bill astonished me, probably because my parents tell me that I dont exactly have a good concept of money. So I asked them how much we spend, as a family of 6, on groceries per month. On average $1,500-$1,700 per month.

I think I might have a heart attack, and not from all of the unhealthy things I might eat.

Processed foods aren’t as expensive because they aren’t as “full” as whole foods. What I mean by this is that a processed “smeat” patty is spongy and has less actual meat in it than a whole piece of meat. They use less meat for synthetic food so it doesn’t cost as much.

This is a tough topic. Mostly because there are many outside factors such as a bad economy, gobal warming and technology which influence production. This is happening world wide, not only in America. So yes, it is unfair that healthy food is more expensive but, there are reasons for it.

My family spends about $700 a month for food. My fam consists of 4 people, me bieng the youngest. This about average compared to other people. And it will stink if food keeps increasing in price. Maybe in the near we will be somewhat rationing money for food rather than thinking about where we will go for a 2 week vacation.

I agree with what Kaitlin said about life not always being fair. Its not fair that junk food tastes soooo good but is not good for us. Its not fair that the more calories we eat the bigger we get. But in all fairness I see the reasons for healthy food being more expensive.

For organic foods, and foods with no preservatives more work had to be put into making the foods and packaging and such. Fresh fruits had to be grown and harvested and fresh meat had to be taken care of. The difference in the price of the food is made up in the quality and the overall effects it has on the body.

I think that it is safe to say that even though it is more expensive to eat healthy it is worth it. There is no price on life, so why not give your body the best chance at functioning?

Personally I am a very food conciouse person. I do not eat anything with enriched flour, that has been processed and stuff like that. My mom has repeatedly told me that my foods that i eat alone add up to the cost of the foods of the rest of my family. The bread I eat which is 100% Whole grain and no preservatives, the lean meats i eat which is fresh chicken and turkey, plus all the fruits (such as pineapple, Strawberrys, and grapes, which are NOT CHEAP) add up.

But is it worth it? I think yes. I know for a fact that since i became a healthy eater that i feel better each day. I digest food better, and it overall puts me in a better mood.

The more care that goes into growing the food and packaging it is what makes healthy food so expensive. High quality should equal high price. I think price also boils down to the organic vs locally grown. In some recent news articles, I’ve read that people prefer buying from their local farmers market because it tastes better than vegetables or fruits that while grown without pesticides traveled many miles to reach their local grocery store. I’m not exactly sure though if there is a big price difference between locally grown produce and organic produce.

It’s a conspiracy!!! This is probably one of the reasons America’s obesity rate has increased over the years. It’s just simpler to buy a frozen, just pop it in the microwave meal than buying fresh foods and cooking it yourself. I guess we’re paying for quality.

I don’t think it’s fair either that healthier food is more expensive. I mean come on, it’s hard enough for people to resist temptation of sweets as it is, but sweets or unhealthy junk being cheaper does not help the cause. In our commercial world, it is only logical that the companies with the most appetizing and most money-guzzling products produce the best advertisements, and with the income, the best prices. Look at McDonald’s, for instance. They’re the biggest fastfood chain in the world. How appetizing does a piece of vegetable or a fruit look? Probably not that delicious adjacent to a piece of chocolate cake. So why use money advertising, when it probably won’t affect that sales? While some may say it’s up to the government to control this, actions have already been made. Back to my McDonald’s example, on their menu, as well as many other places, there is a healthy menu. Believe it or not, with the new health-conscious roar and everyone trying to be stick thin to beat each other out, it is in use, but there will always be the majority that love tasty food (and by tasty i mean the most unhealthy) too much to stop distributing the bills to ‘bad food’ and use healthy food as a permanent alternative.

I actually always thought that processed food was cheaper to produce than whole foods since, whole foods considers so much manual labor and time. Whole foods have to be planted, watered, watched, harvested, packaged/sent to various markets, and markets need to take extra care of whole foods rather than processed foods (examples are refrigerating the foods, and making sure that bugs don’t get into the exposed fruits and vegetables). Sure, processed foods include the use of various machinery, and chemicals to preserve and create, and the need for advertizing, but processed foods are made in factories where whole foods need wide room to be grown and if a patch of land is used over and over again for the same vegetable soon enough the patch of land will be useless unless it’s fertilized or used to grow a different vegetable (whole foods that are meat also require various necessities like a large grassy and clear area to grow cattle). Also, if fast food places are able to reduce the “food” items they make and sell for only $1.00 then there must be something wrong with the meat or oil they are using.

I’m not surprised that you pay so much. My father is really the one who does all the grocery shopping in my family and I asked him how much he pays on groceries each week and he said about $200. Note that my family includes five people total, and the grocery stores that we usually get our whole foods for is Fiesta, Sarah’s Bakery, and Kroger (I’m sure that if we only shopped at places like Sprouts where everything is all organic we would be spending up to $350 or more each week). My family is for the most part really health conscious, but we do indulge ourselves with pastry sweets and chocolates sometimes. Overall, most of the grocery money goes towards healthy whole foods. I have a very close family friend that my family visits from time to time, her household contains seven people, and both parents receive low incomes. When we were young, her family was doing pretty okay, but a few years ago her family started having some financial problems and I’ve noticed a great change in her mother’s cooking (who took up a job). Her mother is a wonderful cook, who used to cook delicious meals with the right amount of oils, whole foods, and spices; but now it seems that everything she cooks must include tons of vegetable oil and butter, and they hardly purchase any fruits except for bananas since fruits are really expensive for their grocery budget. So the “epidemic” is not only because families are not eating healthy, and exercising, but because they don’t have the time or the money to be healthy (not to mention the “guns and butter” issue).

Stephen says that this is a tough topic and i think that people go to their local market with the thought process that i am going to save money no matter what instead of saying i am going to eat healthy no matter what. i think that this thought process is absurd and rash. its said that its the truth. but if you dont believe me look at the nations obesity rate. i have been blessed with being able to eat whatever whenever and still maintain a healthy stick-like body structure. but david has a point the price is not as superficial as we may think there are more than a handfull of facors in determining why prices fluctuate. Life is tough kaitlin and i think that if you can’t pay to eat healthy i think it would behoove you to cut back on spending in other areas of your life to compensate for your own health. one more thought with America being so fat it is not just the market that has non- healthy food at cheap prices but fast food as well is cheap go figure. Stephen out

Oh, i’ve often times wondered why the price of organic foods are so much more expensive than processed.

It’s really unfortunate that healthy foods have a heavy price attached to them, because this pushes more people to avoid them and forsake the virtues of healthy eating.

It really isn’t fair that the food that’s good for you cost so much more. I shop at Central Market. They’re even more expensive than WalMart or Albertson’s or whatever.

I think of it this way: To grow an apple tree you need some land, water, the seeds, and a bit of fertilizer. These trees provide us with nutrition and oxygen.

Factories that make Twinkies and Ding Dongs and whatever else people eat only provide us with empty calories. Sure, we need sugar, but not that much. Factories produce carbon dioxide, waste, and all sorts of icky things. So shouldn’t they be more expensive?

I think that factories like that should be taxed based on how much waste they produce. That would be more fair.

The obesity epidemic might worsen because some people are simply too stubborn to change their eating habits. However, more and more people are becoming aware of what they are eating. I would rather grow my own corn and tomatoes and stuff because at least then I won’t be making that much of an impact on the planet.

Yeah, It is kind of funny when you think about it. You can get a Hamburger for a dollar, and a small fry for a dollar, and bunch of other things for a dollar on the dollar menu at fast food chains, but what will a dollar buy you in the organic food isle? You can’t get anything healthy for a dollar. Which seems to me like a problem. It is sad to say that because not all people can afford to eat healthy so they go for the dollar food verses the healthy foood.

This is always an interesting subject to think about, and becuase I am a nerd…I have debated it before. The high cost of whole and natural food is outrageous, but at risk of being the devil’s advocate, the american population brings the punishment of poor nutrition on themselves. People dont seem to care. How hard is it to read a label or two…or rent a FREE library book on nutrition. It seems like individuals care more about money and gain then they do in preserving and respecting their own body. I think that if people protested the high cost of natural foods, then the cost would accordingly go down…and unhealthy foods would go up a notch. What company is able to sell foods with bad stigma? Companies are brilliant in their marketing. They know the american population is lazy and they capitalize on that fact. We want things made fast. We want things simple. We want food NOW. As I said, our own ignorance is our own downfall.

I am thinking it is time to expand our movie-making horizons to commercial advertising. My idea is that we make parodies of timeless Super Bowl commercials incorporating bags of carrots and stalks of celery. It could be epic.

I’ll add a parental anecodote I hear all the time: “Just quit eating guys!” I’ll hasten to add that its only in jest, but still, as college and the prospect of having to pay for all my own food within the next 5 years gets closer, I sometimes think about the validity of this. It always hurts just a little when I get my debit card statement and see that probably 90% of my purchases were food (albeit subway . What if I only ate say 2 meals a day? Surely if you forced yourself into the routine, eventually it would become normal and you wouldn’t notice it as much.
Presumably in the nomad days humans were closer to animals in that they ate in spurts after a big kill. Nobody back then was tubby, so it wouldn’t kill us to do a little non-denominational fasting, would it?

food is part of our tradition, our grand fathers ate feast on holidays because thats when they got off from work and spend some time with the family.
healthy foods are getting expensive because they are hard to preserve the freshness. you can process a chicken stick it in a bag and put it in a freezer and it is good to go. but a regular chicken the packing and keeping it in certainn temperature and they have to sell it before the expiration date, that too much of risk.
but i know a place sprouts that my family used to buy groceries from when we lived in Plano. it is a big farmers market. i think is aabout the same price for groceries like a regular store but the quality is pretty good.
cost of the food is increasing and i think “synthesized” chickem meat have some to do with it. it could be that bad hormone that making people gain wieght.

I think that because of McDonald’s and other fast foods, we’ve gotten used to the idea of food being cheaper than what it is, when in reality, it’s a little more expensive than that. Yes, healthy food is a little expensive, but I mean, it’s food! It should be given a higher priority because after all, it’s the most basic need. Plus, the extra money spent on healthy food can pay back in tenfold. Healthy food isn’t something that should be compromised for. Maybe the government should help lower food costs somehow.

Of course it isn’t fair that healthy foods are more expensive. It is almost impossible to take care of yourself when the good food is sky high. When gas prices and the prices of basic food like milk and butter are rising it is only reasonable to think that people buy food that is the cheapest to make ends meet. So the answer to the U.S. getting in shape is to get the economy back on its feet.

Honestly I think that the only reason that people now days are consuming more and more unhealthy food is because it is cheaper. And it looks better on commercials. Just imagine a juicy hamburger commercial, how do you feel? Hungry(if you eat meat that is), and now you are just dying to get one. But now imagine the same commercial except with a bunch of broccoli and brussel sprouts, yum. How do you feel now? Not so hungry I’m guessing. And that right there is that main reason that companies put more time into advertising their unhealthy food more than their healthy food, because the simple truth is that those foods look better on TV. Also it is much easier to make a french fry that just sits in oil, than a healthy meal, where you have to take tons of steps to make the food that you are making the slight bit healthy.

It is definately not fair that the healthy foods we are told to consume is more expensive than the cheap junk that we do. Economics has some to do with this though. The age older than us concept of supply and demand still stands. Relatively high supply coupled with relatively low demand leads to higher prices. Relatively low supply couple with relatively high demand leads to higher prices. If a company or multiple companies think they can make more money with the fat/sugar/calorie-laden foods because they are easy to make, then their prices fall further and they make less healthy foods so those prices rise.

In terms of a general product to buy, better quality food is going to cost more than food that is of poor quality. It’s unfortunate, though, that this affects our health. It’s inevitable that as natural foods get more expensive, obesity is going to become a bigger problem. Guess we’re going to have to exercise a little more, regardless.

I will admit, I am a fan of the show How It’s Made- it’s just so interesting to see the production and assembly of a million different things. Interestingly enough, it was one of the episodes of this show that originally inspired me to become a vegetarian (it involved innocent, baby chicks). Anyways, on the show you get to see all the machinery which actually makes whatever item is being featured. True, these machines and robotic features cost millions of dollars, but at the end of each episode, they tell you the rate of production of the item, which is usually in the millions. The initial investment is pretty steep, but keep the machines for a few years, and they’ve easily earned back the cost. Processed foods require little human contact, meaning that once the machines are paid for, there are little expenses the company has to pay (save actually buying the ingredients). This is unlike farming, which requires many farm hands to keep the operation running smoothly. Where a factory can whip out thousands of packages of ramen noodles in one day, a farm needs a much larger time investment in order to see results. This requires some incentive to stick with it, thus the higher prices.

food is a necessity. and some can’t afford the natural and whole food store stuff so they settle for the next best thing.but even if they had the funds for those luxuries would they opt to buy them? some yes,but majority probably not. our society has come to one of fast food, take out and junk food.and frankly it’s sad and distrubing. I hope that somewhere down the road it changes and people realize how BIG of a deal it actually is!

another point to be brought up is are people willing to go out of their way to prepare these foods and go out of their way to buy them? extra money and time will be spent on these products which is something our society seems to lack lately. this could easily be the problems to our obesity rate.

It seems to me that consumer america are not so hot on jumping on the bandwagon to eat healty. Sure eating right is a good conceptual idea and one that if followed through the correct way will benifit society, but its like comunisim good on paper just not practical. One for cost and two for conveniece. How many people out there could honestly go a day without some kind of processed food. It makes sense in the buisness sense that what america wants ( the chips, the snack foods, the processed foods) america gets. I know that when i was younger i didnt reach for a celery stalk, i wanted the cheetoes and the chicken nuggets, and even today i see myself have urges to get the cheetoes but, since becoming a vegetarian and being a vegan for over a year it showed me that real food made right tastes good! Also i partly blame the american lifestlye of being the “busy body” no one has time for the old fashioned home cooking anymore, no one has time to cook, no one has time instead its easy to go to the mcdonalds down the street, its easy to grab a frozen meal and heat it, its just plain easy to eat unhealthy. Thats the problem.

It is cheaper to buy food that is a whole lot unhealthier for you because of the cost it takes to care about the food someone is producing. Like the way people protect the food from insects eating or destroying their crops. I am sure it is a lot cheaper to buy pesticide than to buy sillica to protect the crops. Also people are lazy. They want to put products out on the market for the least effort put forth from them just so long as they make a buck.You can see that in how chickens are fattened up by feeding hormones to them in their food.It makes it so those chickens can not even stand on their own legs because all the unnatural substances put into their body. However that is okay so long as the chicken company produces more chicken meat for less effort. Do they even think how unhealthy that is to feed to their consumers?

Well, I can’t say myself that I go into the grocery store and look for the healthy foods… I don’t eat alot of sweets or candy, but I love the convenience of processed canned goods. But it is odd that they are cheaper to produce; Most likely they are much easier to mass produce, and are partially being paid for by advertisements. However, as convenient as it is, I think it will become less of a easy way of eating and more of a health issue soon as the price of healthy foods relative to unhealthy foods rises drastically and forces people to buy less of what is good for them.