Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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Does It Really Cost More to Eat Healthy Food?
http://www.foodpolitics.com/2011/08/does-it-really-cost-more-to-buy-healthy-food/

  I got several calls this week about a new study from the University of 
Washington arguing that because of the way foods are subsidized, it will cost 
everyone nearly $400 a year to follow the recommendations of the government’s 
MyPlate food guide.

The Seattle group calculates the cost of food per calorie.  By this measure, 
the price of fruits and vegetables is exceedingly high compared to the cost 
of junk food.  Fruits and vegetables do not have many calories for their 
weight.

The Commerce department tracks the indexed price of foods.  Its data show 
that the indexed price of fresh produce increased by 40% ince 1980 whereas 
the price of sodas and processed foods has declined by 10-30%.  (The easiest 
place to see their charts is in New York Times articles from a couple of 
years ago.  Click here and also here).

USDA economists have produced a similar chart:



Other USDA economists, however, argue that price trends for fruits, 
vegetables, and junk foods are really no different, and that the data shown 
in the figure overstate the apparent difference.

Nevertheless, the Seattle paper got a lot of attention, and rightly so.  One 
of my calls was from David Freeman of CBS News who said he was hearing lots 
of complaints that the study promoted a “nanny state” because it blamed bad 
eating habits on the government.  My quotes:

    “It’s a common misconception that food choices are solely a matter of 
personal responsibility,” Dr. Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition, food 
studies, and public health at New York University and an outspoken critic of 
the fast food industry, told CBS News. “People are hugely influenced by the 
price of food. If you don’t have any money and go into the store to buy some 
fresh fruits, you might decide that it’s cheaper to have a couple of fast 
food hamburgers.”

    And those who can afford healthy food may lack the time or the necessary 
food-preparation skills, Dr. Nestle said.

    Government-sponsored cooking classes and kitchen equipment may not be in 
the offing. But Dr. Monsivais and Dr. Nestle agreed that federal agriculture 
policies could do more to encourage healthy eating. For example, some of the 
federal farm subsidies now directed to producers of corn, soybeans, and other 
crops used to make fast and processed foods could be redirected to growers of 
fruits and vegetables.

    “What’s the matter with that?” Dr. Nestle said. “I can’t think of a 
thing.”